


I Love Him But I Can't

by Quaglietta_girl25



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: F/M, Human, POV Allison
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-10
Updated: 2017-02-07
Packaged: 2018-08-20 13:06:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 44
Words: 67,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8250143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quaglietta_girl25/pseuds/Quaglietta_girl25
Summary: Allison Argent is new to Beacon Hills. She comes from a normal family, or at least as normal as a family can be when they sell firearms to the law enforcement. Quickly being recruited into the popular crowd of Beacon Hills. Lydia Martin becomes her best friend (her first true best friend since she moved so much) and ruler of the school. Allison loves her life at the school within five minutes of her first day. Things seem even better when Allison meets Scott McCall. Star player on the school's lacrosse team. He's handsome, sweet, and one of the nicest guys you could ever meet. There's one really big problem though. He's Lydia's boyfriend. Will Allison get the guy and lose her friend? Will she lose the guy and keep her friendship? Will she lose them both? Or will she get them both? You'll just have to read to find out.





	1. Welcome to Beacon Hills

Waking up was easy. Going to the latest new school was even easier. Then I met Lydia Martin. The queen of Beacon Hills. She was popular, smart, and had amazing style. She wanted me to be her best friend. I couldn't believe it. 

"You'll have to come to my party this Friday," Lydia said sweetly but it was really a demand. "It'll be your official welcome into Beacon Hills society."

I smiled and quickly agreed. "I'd love to come Lydia."

"Great. You'll get to meet everyone who's important. It'll be great."

"I'm sure it will be. Would you mind showing me to my next class?"

I handed her my schedule when she nodded and she laughed. 

"As luck would have it, we have almost the exact same schedule. I'm not in your Economics or French class. I won't see you in today's last period Chemistry either though. I have the class with you but I'm gonna miss it because I have a meeting with the principal."

"I think I'll be able to last three periods without you." 

She grabbed my shoulders gently with a slight jump. "You'll have to watch the scrimmage with me after school."

"Football scrimmage?"

"Lacrosse, we're really big on lacrosse around here. You'll get used to it."

I grimace and say "I don't know anything about lacrosse."

"It's ok. You'll catch on and you can ask me any questions that you have."

I nod and say "So, shall we head to class?"

"I thought you'd never ask," she said with a laugh. She links her arm with mine. "Come on. Study hall aka the library is second to last."

/

After arriving in the library, Lydia and I found a table and just started talking about random things. It was nice having someone to talk to. Moving around so much didn't give me the chance to make friends. I put walls up so I wouldn't have to miss anyone after a move. Beacon Hills was different though. My parents swore that we wouldn't be moving for a long while and after meeting Lydia, I'm glad that's true. I feel like I've known her for years and it's nice to have a girl my own age to talk to. Not that my Aunt Kate isn't great but sometimes you just need a friend's opinion, and now I have that. 

"So, seen anything you like?"

I shake my head and say "No, not really. The classrooms are all the same pretty much at every school."

"No, that's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about seen any guys that you like?" Lydia gets a thinking face. "Or girls. I'm cool with either. Whatever makes people happy. My friend Danny is gay. He's awesome."

"Straight, thanks. I haven't seen anyone that's caught my interest."

"You've seriously haven't dated since eighth grade?"

"We did too much moving and having a boyfriend for a month or a few weeks before moving to a different state and city doesn't give you much relationship stability."

Lydia frowns and says "Well that will change. You're staying for a while and you'll have a boyfriend."

"What about you?"

"I have a boyfriend already. You'll see him at the scrimmage. He's captain of the lacrosse team."

I smile and say "I can't wait to meet him."

Meeting Lydia's boyfriend would be nice. I'd have make another friend or at least I hope so. If he's a jerk I'll tolerate the guy when Lydia's around but I'm not gonna talk with him.

Lydia looks down at her phone and says "I've gotta go meet the principal soon. I'll walk you to Chemistry."

/

I was fiddling with my pen as the teacher, Mr. Harris, went on about how teenagers are just walking hormones. The pen slipped from my hands when Mr. Harris slapped my table. He's a total jerk. I can already tell that I'm gonna hate him and this class.

"Seriously," I muttered as I went to pick it up. 

"I've got it," a guy's voice said. I looked up and my eyes met the most beautiful brown eyes I've ever seen. I just couldn't look away. It was like I was under a spell. "He's a bore, you'll learn to tune him out."

The cobwebs in my head cleared and I was able to move. I smiled sweetly as I took my pen back.

"Thanks."

He waved it off and says "No problem." He puts his hand out to me. "I'm Scott. Scott McCall."

"Allison Argent."

"So, what do you think of the school so far? Besides the teachers because their all the same at any school."

I couldn't help the laugh that escaped. "I think I'm gonna like it here."

"I'm glad. Well Allison, I hope I can make this school more bearable."

"We'll see."

He smiled and I felt my cheeks heating up so I looked down at my books before he could notice. The rest of the class, I couldn't stop thinking about him. Maybe Chemistry won't be too bad. I mean, I do have Scott in it with me and I'll have Lydia too. This is probably my best first day yet. 

/

After Chemistry, I met up with Lydia at my locker. She leaned against the locker to my right and gestured down the hall towards the class. 

"So, how was Mr. Harris?"

"Dull, arrogant, and creepy," I said with a chuckle. "I made a friend though."

"That's my girl. Tell me all about it." 

I go to open my mouth but Erica jogs over to us. "Lydia, hurry up. The scrimmage is about to start."

Lydia nods and grabs my wrist. "Come on Allison. You can tell me when we're in the bleachers."

She practically dragged me to the bleachers and Erica and I started chatting. Then I saw Scott jog onto the field in a lacrosse uniform. He was leading laps around the field and Lydia had gone to get us some water. Lydia came back just as I waved to Scott. He jogged over and Lydia jumped into his arms, giving him a kiss. I was just frozen in place.

"Scott, this is my new best friend Allison. Allison, this is my boyfriend Scott."

Scott smiles and says "We've met. She's in my Chemistry class."

Lydia smiles and says "So he's the new friend you made. Isn't he just the sweetest?"

The guy I couldn't stop thinking about. The guy I couldn't stop smiling about. He's captain of the lacrosse team. He's Lydia's boyfriend. I have a crush on my best friend's boyfriend! I'm in so much trouble.

"He's great."

 


	2. Quality Time

I got home and I started my homework. Lydia popped into my mind though. I felt so guilty. I didn't do anything but I felt guilty for liking Scott. No one could blame me. He's practically perfect besides his crooked jawline but I found it cute. His six pack that glistened during practice. No, stop. I can't be thinking about Lydia's boyfriend like that. She's been so nice to me and she doesn't even know me. I can't have feelings for her boyfriend. He and I can be friends but that's it. It's not like it could go any further than that anyway.

"Allison," my mom shouted from downstairs. "Dinner's ready."

"Coming mom," I shouted back. I turn to face my mirror. "You have to stop thinking about Scott." 

I jogged down the stairs after that. My dad sat to my left and my mom was to my right.

"So, how was school," my mom asked sweetly.

"Fine. I made a new friend."

Dad smiles and says "Who is it?"

"Lydia Martin. She's really sweet and amazingly smart."

Dad smiles and says "I'm glad. So you like it here?"

"Yeah. We'll be staying how long this time? A month? Two months? Three?"

My mom smiles and says "Actually, we'll be staying permanently."

"Really? You're not joking right?"

Dad puts his hand over mine and says "No we're not joking. We'll be staying here permanently."

I jump up and say "Thank you guys so much. So I can actually unpack all my boxes? I don't have to leave some stuff inside just in case?"

"Unpack every last thing and put it where you want because we're staying here for a long, long time."

"Thank you so much."

/

The next day at school, I felt like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I didn't feel guilty anymore. I could control my emotions. It's not like I'm gonna have to spend time alone with him anytime soon. I was grabbing books from my locker when Lydia came over.

"You have to hangout with Scott. You two need to get to know each other better." She claps her hands together happily. "So I set up for you two to be Chemistry partners."

My books fell out of my hands. "You, you swapped my partner?"

"Yes!" She smiled. "My best friend and my boyfriend have to get along. So by forcing you two to be Chemistry partners, you'll spend more time together. So I'll be with your partner now and you'll be with Scott."

"I don't know Lydia. Maybe you and I should be partners instead. Then we can hangout the three of us when we don't have assignments."

"Hanging out the three of us won't give you two the proper opportunity to get to know each other better."

This would not end well. This could not end well. Nothing good could come from this. She was pushing me to spend time with him. She wants me to work with her boyfriend. Her amazingly sweet boyfriend. Her extremely hot boyfriend. Her very muscular boyfriend.

"Lydia, I don't really feel comfortable with that. Some of the assignments are take home, which would mean him coming to my house at night."

Lydia laughs and says "I know that. What better way to get to know each other than at night while doing homework? You can chat while answering the questions." She raises an eyebrow at me and I guess my face looks worried. I'm still so shocked that I don't even remember the last facial expression I used. "Do you turn into an assassin when the sun goes down or something because you seem really worried."

"No, it's just, he's your boyfriend."

Lydia nods and says "I know that." She let out a little chuckle. "I'm telling you to work on Chemistry projects with him and labs. I'm not asking you to marry him before lunch."

"I just don't feel comfortable with it. Swap back."

"Can't." She said with a frown. "Mr. Harris posted the new partner groups in the main hallway and everyone signed off on the changes but you."

That's just great. Now Scott's my partner because everyone in the class gave their consent to the pairings. Wait a minute. Everyone? Including Scott?

"How does Scott feel about this?"

"He's fine with it. He was one of the first handful of people to sign off on the partnerships. He said he looked forward to it."

He's looking forward to working with me? Really? I couldn't help the small smile that appeared on my face.

"I'll try it out for a little while, but we swap back if it continues to be somewhat awkward between us."

Lydia jumps up and hugs me quickly. "Thank you. Thank you."

We walked to Chemistry and instead of going to my seat from yesterday, I took the one to the left of Scott.

"Hey Allison," he said with a blinding smile. "So did Lydia tell you about Saturday yet?"

"What's Saturday?"

"The first lacrosse game. She said she was gonna invite you to sit with her. Something about showing you the ropes."

I lean back in my seat and look to Lydia who was talking to Stiles. "Lydia, you never told me about Saturday."

"I sent you a text last night. You never got back to me." She pulls out her phone and shows me the message. "I assumed you'd just answer me at lunch. I should've guessed that you didn't reply because you didn't get it."

"It's fine. I'll be there."

"You will?"

"Yeah. I'll keep you company and we can talk."

Scott smiles and says "Lyds, pizza after the game?"

"Pizza sounds great," she said. "But you should go with Allison instead. Get to know each other."

Scott shrugs and turns to me with the most adorable sheepish smile. "Pizza?"

No. I can't go. I can't get pizza with him. Just tell him you have a family thing afterwards. Tell him your allergic to pizza. He smiles wider and all those thoughts disappear.

"I'd love to."

"Great. I'll need your number."

I then say "Just, put in your number and I'll call you."

Scott did it quickly and transfers the phone back to me. He was looking into my eyes and I couldn't look away from them. They were mesmerizing.

Mr. Harris then says "Alright class. Let's begin so we can pretend I taught you something and as can leave."

That broke my eye contact with Scott and the guilt came back. It was crushing me. I felt like I actually had a weight on my shoulder. Scott puts his hand on my shoulder with a worried expression. All the pain went away then.

"Are you ok?"

"Never better," before giving him a quick small smile.

Lydia looks over at us and she gives me a thumbs up. The guilt didn't come though because he still had his hand on my shoulder. He was still looking at me with worry. I could have a crush on him. Half the grade probably does. I just can't act on it because it'll hurt Lydia. I can control myself around him. I hope.


	3. Competition Between Friends

A week. I've gone an entire week without talking to Scott. A week full of pain. A week full of envy. A week full of despair. Today was my first day really seeing him since Lydia walked in on us making out. He was sitting across from me at lunch, Lydia to his left.

"So Scott got a gutter ball and it was the funniest thing ever," Lydia said with a laugh.

Everyone at the table joining her. She hadn't really told them about why Scott and I weren't really talking. As far as they know, Scott and I are just in a fight.

Scott chuckles and says "I tell you that I'm a terrible bowler, every year. You never listen."

"I keep hoping that you'll get better at it. Some how I feel like you get worse."

Scott chuckles and says "Thanks for the support Lyds."

She kisses his cheek and I look down at the apple on my food tray. Seeing them being so casual and happy together hurt worse than not having seen him. I prefer not seeing him. At least then I don't have to watch him and Lydia look like no one else in the world matters. I glanced up and saw Scott. He was looking at me. He was looking at me the same way he did whenever he was fighting the urge to kiss me. That look hurt me even more. I pushed him away. I chose to listen to Lydia. I could've had him. He'd be mine if I hadn't chosen Lydia.

Lydia was looking at us and says "Allison, why don't you and I go bowling tomorrow afternoon? We'll have a girls week. Just you and me."

"Sounds like fun Lydia. I'll be there. What about Sunday afternoon though? What'll we do that day?"

"Bowling again. So we can have rematches."

"Alright. Warning though, I'm really good."

"Finally, someone who can keep up with me in bowling."

She nudges Scott playfully and I felt like I'd be sick if I didn't walk away now.

"We'll talk more later. I've gotta go to my locker." I walk away from the table at a calm pace. Not wanting to clue anyone in. "See you in Chemistry."

/

The next day, Lydia and I went to the bowling alley. We started at an easy pace, but her cell buzzed with a text from Scott. That's when I had had enough. I just started getting strikes continuously. Lydia glared at me slightly as she did the same. It went back and forth like that for three games.

"It's a tie," we said at the same time.

We had gotten the same score. It was a tie. We slumped to our seats and I noticed Lydia's screensaver was a picture of her, Erica, Scott, some other girls, and some guys from the lacrosse team. She was watching me carefully so I looked away when I realized I was staring.

"I noticed you and Stiles talking between classes a lot lately."

I nod and say "Yeah, we're friends."

She looks at her hands and says "Has he asked you out or anything?"

"I mean, we're going to a movie on Monday, but totally not a date."

"Oh, ok." She says with a nod but her smile had faltered. "Do you like him?"

"Yeah, I like him." I then register what she's asking. "No, not like that. I liked him as a friend. Nothing more. Totally just friends."

Her smile seemed to come back to its full force.

"So, we ended in a tie."

"Yup," she said with a smile. "You're a worthy bowling opponent. But you're an even better best friend."

"I doubt that Lyds. Thanks though."

"No, I'm serious. You're a great best friend. In fact, I'm gonna find you a date to the Winter Formal. Come on, I'm starved. Let's get something to eat."

/

The next day we were laughing like we usually did. We seemed to be less competitive and I don't know why. Lydia had turned off her phone before we started which kinda confused me. She always kept it on.

"So, I think I found you a date to the Formal."

"Oh," I say sadly. "I actually don't plan on going to the Formal."

She shakes her head and says "You're going. I have a date already. I found you a date. It'll be perfect. He's sweet and handsome. It's a blind date."

"Lydia, I really don't feel like going."

"You're going and that's final."

We ended the game with Lydia winning. Somehow that hurt me. Then I put the pieces together. I was staring at the picture of Scott on her phone and that's when we started getting competitive. We ended in a tie. It was as if the winner got him, but now Lydia won. She got Scott.

"Allison," she said softly. "What's wrong?"

I reach up and felt my cheek was wet. A tear had slipped from my eye.

"Nothing. I'm fine. How about we head back to my place and watch the Notebook?"

She nods and says "Yeah. Um, I just need to tell Erica that I'll have to reschedule our lunch."


	4. You're Safe

When Friday came, Lydia was helping me pick an outfit and we were getting ready at her house.

"You should wear that," she said gesturing to the outfit I had just tried on. A white blouse, a black skirt, and a black blazer. "You look great in it."

"You look stunning," I said. She wore a red tank and jeans with a mini black jacket.

"I told Scott to meet us here. The party starts in five minutes so we'll go down now and glance over everything."

"Ok."

We walk downstairs and wait for everyone to show up.

"So, what do you think of the school," she asked.

I smile and say "I really like it here. There are a lot of nice people."

"Any guys you deem cute that you wanna go after?"

I can't say yes. Then she'll ask who it is and I can't say Scott. He is cute though. Extremely cute. He's nice to everyone. He's unlike any guy I've ever met.

Lydia then says "It's taking you that long to figure out if you like anyone from school?"

"They're either not my type or taken."

Lydia shrugs and says "Maybe you'll meet a guy tonight."

"Maybe," I say with a shrug.

The doorbell rang and people started herding in.

/

I spend most of the night on the sidelines. I watched as Scott spoke to some of the lacrosse team. Lydia was talking to Stiles across the yard.

"Want a drink," Matt asked behind me, causing me to jump slightly.

He was in my French class and whenever I looked to the window I'd notice him looking at me. He was holding a cup of punch out to me.

"Sure."

I take it and drink it quickly. I knew Lydia didn't spike the punch because she wanted people to be able to drive home safely. A few moments later though, I felt dizzy. I felt myself swaying as the room started to spin. I almost collapsed but Matt caught me.

"I've got you," he said. "Let's take you somewhere quiet."

He lead me to one of the rooms and he leaned in to kiss me.

"Get away from me," I said when he kept leaning in even though I was pushing him away.

Any other day I'd have already knocked him to the ground but I couldn't do that now. I was swaying uncontrollably, my balance practically none existent. The spinning of the room seemed to worsen. Let's not forget to mention the fact that I was seeing two of him.

"Don't worry Allison," he said pushing me against the wall. "We're meant to be together. I can see it in the way you look at me."

I go to shove him away but I felt so weak. "What did you give me?" He wouldn't budge.

"Just a little something to get you in the mood. Don't worry. It'll be ok. We'll be happy together."

"Stop! Get away from me!" He leaned in to kiss me and I kept him away. "Get off me!"

I closed my eyes as I kept the pressure to keep him away. He was gone. I didn't have to apply pressure, he was just gone. I opened my eyes and saw Scott with Matt pinned to the wall.

"Leave," he said. "Now."

Matt then says "Dude, it's cool. She's just playing hard to get. She wants it."

Scott grabs him by his shirt collar and lifts him against the wall. "I'm gonna tell you one more time and it's the last time I'll tell this to you. Leave this party now. If you don't, I'll kick you out of here."

"Yeah right. You wouldn't dare."

Scott throws him over his shoulder and walks him out, but not before closing the door to the room. He came back a few minutes later and stepped in front of me.

"You alright?" He takes my hand gently and leads me to the bed. "Come on, sit down. I'll get you water. You should stay hydrated. Maybe I should take you to the hospital. My mom can check you over."

"I'm fine."

"I'd feel better if you got checked."

"No, I'll be fine. I just wanna go home."

Scott then says "I'll drive your car. I don't think you should be behind the wheel while you're like this."

I stand up and when the room spins, I grab his arm. Scott puts his hand over my own and leads me out of the room. He grabs three water bottles before leading me to my car. He drove me home and helped me to the door which my dad and mom had just opened.

"Allison," my mom shouted when she noticed how I was still unbalanced. "What did you do to our daughter?!"

My dad then shouted "You son of a–," but he stopped when his fist connected with Scott's jaw.

"Dad, he stopped the guy! Scott didn't do anything."

Scott was rubbing his jaw as he sat on the pavement. My dad stretches his hand out to him.

"Sorry about that," he said as he helped Scott up.

"No worries Mr. Argent. I'd probably react the same way if the roles were reversed."

Mom then says "What happened?"

"I guess Matt slipped something into her punch. I was passing by the room on my way to Lydia's room to get my hoodie when I heard Allison. I went in and Matt had Allison against the wall and she was trying to push him back. I just got him away." He holds the car keys out to me. "Here are the car keys and stay hydrated. Call me if you need anything."

I nod and say "Thanks Scott."

He waves it off and says "No problem. I'm here if you need me. I'm gonna head back to the party and help Lydia clean up. I'll see you at the game tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I'll be there." I wanted to hug him. Friends hug. I can do that. I hesitantly step forward and wrap my arms around him since not only was I not sure if this was ok, but I was also still dizzy. "Thanks Scott."

He hugs back and says "I'll see you tomorrow. Get some rest and don't forget to stay hydrated." He pulls away and says "I'm serious about calling me if you need me."

He walked towards Lydia's and my mom helped me to my room. Sleep claimed me quickly and I was happy to be home. I don't even want to think about what could have happened if Scott hadn't of come in. I luckily don't have to because I'm drifting to sleep.


	5. Victory

I walked into school and Scott was waiting by my locker. He was leaning against the locker to the left and wore his lacrosse uniform. He was looking around the hall and stops when he spots me.

"Allison," he said. "You made it."

"I said I would."

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine. Thanks Scott. I really appreciate what you did last night. I'm sorry about my dad."

"Don't worry about it. I'm just happy you're ok."

"I'm fine. Totally ticked at Matt and probably gonna take out a restraining order, but I'm fine."

Scott nods and says "Good. I've gotta go get on the field. The game is about to start. We still on for pizza after the game?"

"Yeah."

"Cool." He gestures outside. "I'll see you."

I nod and he leaves quickly. I follow out and spot Lydia in the second row, her back on the space to her left. She waves me over and I take the seat.

"Scott told me about last night," she said with worry. "You ok? He didn't do anything, right? I'll get rid of him if he hurt you."

"I'm fine. Scott came in just in time. I can handle him, don't worry. I'm sorry I left without saying bye."

"You kidding? You were drugged. I think that gives you the right to be able to leave without saying bye. I heard your dad has a really good arm."

I bury my face in my hands before turning to the side to look at her. "I felt so bad."

"It's fine. Scott was laughing about it as he helped me clean up. He's really easy going. He's great like that."

I smile at Scott laughing with some of the team. Stiles was seated on the bench alone and Scott jogs over to him. They start talking and Stiles laughs at something he'd said.

"Stiles is really sweet."

I turn to Lydia and nod. "Yeah. He's really funny too."

She grins at me. "You like him. Oh my god, you totally have a crush on Stilinski. That explains it all. That's why you didn't want to swap partners. You already had the one you wanted. I can't believe I didn't see it sooner."

"No, that's not the reason. Not at all. I like Stiles, but just as friends."

She shrugs and says "Alright." She turns to the field. "Ooh, the game is about to start."

/

Scott was amazing. He dodged defenders like they were nothing and he had scored the winning goal. I couldn't stop smiling. He jogged over, hugging Lydia first and then me. We walked to the pizzeria and had got two regular slices.

"You were great out there," I said.

Scott chuckles and says "It was a team effort. I couldn't have done it without the other guys."

"A modest athlete, I've officially seen it all."

Scott laughs and says "Is it sad that I'm actually happy that Lydia turned me down and suggested you go with me instead?"

I shrugged with a wide smile and he returned it. The night progressed with us talking about random things. I couldn't believe how comfortable I feel talking with him. Just like that feeling I got from Lydia, it was like I had known him forever, but there was something stronger about this feeling than the other. All I know is that I can't stop smiling and I get a safe feeling when I'm with him.

"I better get you home," he said after a few more hours of just sitting and talking. "Wouldn't want your dad to worry."

I stand and say "About last night, I'm really sorry that he hit you."

"Allison, its fine. He was just being a protective dad. It's understandable. Don't feel guilty about it."

/

He walks me to the door and I smile at him.

"Thanks for tonight. I had a lot of fun."

He nods and says "I did too. We should totally do it again. If you don't mind of course."

"No, I'd like that."

"Good," he said with a sweet smile. "I look forward to it. I'll see you Monday."

"See you Monday."

He hugs me quickly and walks away with a wave. After I made it to my room, I pressed my back against the door and couldn't help but smile. Tonight was perfect. Getting over my crush on him wouldn't be easy, but being his friend is better than not having him at all.


	6. Its the English Teachers Fault

When I got to school on Monday, Scott was with Lydia at my locker. I had spent the weekend thinking about my situation and I decided that I only liked Scott as a friend. Sure he was practically perfect, but he was Lydia's. That one fact made him seem less desirable to me.

"Hey," I said.

Lydia hugs me and says "Scott told me about the pizzeria and I'm so glad you two had fun. The last thing I'd want is my best friend and boyfriend hating each other. I care about you both so much."

Scott kisses the side of her head and says "We care about you too." He hugs me quickly. "So, can we head to class now?"

"You're in a rush to get to class? Are you sick," Lydia asked with a giggle.

Scott chuckles and says "No, it's just that I'm missing last period History because practice is gonna take place. I don't wanna miss the other classes."

Lydia nods and kisses his cheek quickly before we start walking to our classes. Then English came and she decided she wanted us to work on Shakespeare with the drama class. Scott and I got partnered up and we were supposed to talk about how Shakespeare was a realistic writer.

"Well, he get the point across that not every story has a happy ending. Like Romeo and Juliet or Macbeth," I said.

Scott nods and says "Exactly. Macbeth got killed because of his insatiable hunger for power."

The Drama teacher calls us to the front of the room and she said something that could ruin everything.

"Ok. We're going to pretend you two are Romeo and Juliet. Kiss."

Scott looked at me and I turned to the teacher.

"What?"

"Kiss. Don't be shy you two. This is drama. It is an art. Just a quick kiss."

I could feel my heart pounding. It was like it was attempting to jump out of my chest. This couldn't happen. This could spark my feelings for him again. This could ruin everything. Lydia was here. She'd see the entire thing. I couldn't kiss him.

I turned to look at Scott and I was staring into his eyes. I wanted to kiss him. Just once. To see what it would be like. So I shrugged and Scott took a step closer to me. We leaned in slowly and we stopped when our lips were only an inch away from each others. I looked into his eyes and he closed the distance between us.

It was amazing. It's just like how they describe it in movies. I felt sparks everywhere. Everyone else in the room disappeared and it was just us. The kiss ended and we were staring at each other as the class applauded us for our 'acting' skills.

Lydia smiles and says "That must have been so awkward and weird. I should've offered to take your place Allison. I'm sorry."

"It's fine. It was just a second."

"Alright. Well, I'll see you later I guess."

/

When I got home, I couldn't stop thinking about the kiss. It was amazing. I wanted to do it again. Scott wouldn't though. He cared about Lydia. Even if they did get into a fight.

"Allison," my mom shouted. "Scott's here."

Scott? Scott was here? What could be wrong? I jogged down the stairs and saw Scott standing in the doorway. He was in his lacrosse uniform still.

"Hey," I said. "What's wrong?"

Scott shakes his head and says "Nothing. That's what's wrong."

"I don't understand."

Scott steps forward and cups my right cheek gently. He kisses me. Sparks going off in my head and I kissed him back, of course I did. He pulls away and shakes his head.

"That's what's wrong. Kissing you doesn't feel wrong, it's feels right, but it shouldn't feel that way because I'm with Lydia."

"So you felt it too?"

Scott chuckles and says "I couldn't stop thinking about it during practice. Coach shouted at me to get my head out of the clouds and onto the field."

"How'd that work out?"

"I ended up coming here. I just needed to see if you felt the sparks that I felt. I needed to know if I was just imagining it."

I shake my head and say "I felt it. You didn't imagine it."

"I don't know what we're gonna do."

"That makes two of us."

He looks into my eyes and says "I wanna kiss you again."

So he did. It was soft and sweet. The sparks were there and I couldn't think of anything better than kissing him. We could worry about what this means and what we're gonna do about it tomorrow. Tonight I just wanna keep kissing him. I want to pretend that I can kiss him like I'm doing right now. Everything else can wait till tomorrow.


	7. I Can't Seem to Stop

Lydia was by my locker the next day and she seemed ticked. Oh god, she knew. What am I gonna do? I'll just act like I have no idea what she's talking about.

"Hey Lydia."

"Don't 'hey Lydia' me. You hurt me last night. How could you do that to me? I thought we were friends?!"

I'm busted. "Lydia, I'm sorry. We are friends. It won't happen again."

"It better not! I was waiting at the mall for an hour last night. I texted you to meet me there. I said I needed retail therapy. You never came."

Wait, what? She's not talking about Scott and I kissing? She doesn't know? Oh thank god.

"I didn't get the message," I said, showing her my phone. "If I did I'd have came."

She buries her face in her hands and says "I'm such a bitch. I'm sorry. I'm just, I've never had a best friend really and I just, I don't really know how to act with it. I just know I really could've used your support yesterday."

"I'm sorry Lyds. Wanna go to the mall after school?"

She smiles and says "Yeah, I'd like that. Sleepover at my house?"

"Sounds like a plan."

She smiles and says "You free tomorrow night?"

"Yeah, wait no. Tomorrows Wednesday and my Aunt Kate's coming to town so family dinner. I'm free Saturday."

"Wanna go bowling? Girls day?"

"I'd love that."

Lydia looks down at her hands and says "I'd invite Scott but we haven't spoken since our fight. I thought of calling him last night after you didn't come, but I didn't know if he'd answer."

"I'm sorry."

"You didn't get my message. You don't have to apologize. You didn't do anything wrong."

Yes I did. Scott and I kissed. Three different times. We felt sparks. I wanted to do it again. I'm a terrible best friend. Whatever Scott and I have is over. I'm not going to betray Lydia.

/

In Economics, Scott sat in the desk to my right. We had a free period next and Lydia had plans with Stiles to work on Chemistry.

"Allison," he whispered.

"No Scott," I said. "It never happened."

"Allison, we have to talk about it. What it means for us."

"No we don't. There is no us. There's you and Lydia and then there's me."

/

Study period came and Scott found me in the back of an empty classroom.

"Allison, did I do something wrong?"

"No, I mean yes. We did something wrong."

"The kiss?" He grabs my hand gently and strokes it with his thumb. "I thought we both felt sparks?"

"I did." I cup his cheek and lean my forehead against his. "I still do. We just can't."

"Why not?"

"You're with Lydia and she's my best friend."

Scott then says "I'll break up with her."

"Even if you do, she's still my best friend. I can't date her ex."

Scott wraps his arms around my waist and sighs. "So, I don't get to be with you either way. If I break up with Lydia, you can't date me because of the girl code. I can't be with you if I'm with Lydia because I'd be with Lydia."

"We met at the wrong time."

"I don't think so. Everything happens for a reason, right? I don't think this is the wrong time. I just think it's a bad situation."

I sigh and say "A really bad situation."

He kisses me softly and I kissed back. All the guilt went away and it was just Scott and I. It was just like every other kiss but it somehow felt better. Every kiss seemed to get more pleasant. We pulled away when the final bell sounded.

"I have to go. I have plans with Lydia."

Scott nods and kisses my forehead. "We'll figure something out."

I nod and start to leave but turn. "We have to finish our Chemistry project. Do you wanna work on it and get it out of the way?"

"Yeah, sure. My house at eight?"

"That's fine. I'll see you later."

/

"What about this one," Lydia asked as she held up a black dress with a lace neckline.

"It's nice. You'd look great in it."

"Can't argue with that," she said with a sweet smile. "I meant for you though. You'd look stunning in it."

"I don't know. I think I have enough dresses right now. Maybe a different day."

"Fine," she said putting it back. "What do you want to do next?"

I look at my phone and see its 7:30. "I'm actually going to Scott's to finish our Chemistry project. I can reschedule. It's not due for another month."

"No, go. It's fine. Even if Scott and I aren't talking, you two are. I'm not gonna make you choose between us. I'd be a terrible best friend if I did." She hugs me. "Good luck on the project and I'll see you tomorrow."

/

"We're done," I said after an hour of working.

Scott nods and says "Yup."

He had this pensive look on and he looked so cute, that I couldn't help but kiss him. When I pulled away, he seemed dazed and it just made him even cuter. He smiled before pulling me back into a kiss. I fisted his shirt and he leaned forward so that I was laying down, him hovering over me. He brushes a strand behind my ear when he pulls away.

"You're beautiful." Scott kisses the tip of my nose. "And funny." He kisses my cheek. "Smart." He places a kiss on my neck and I let out a gasp. "And so sweet."

I shake my head and say "You're torturing me with these compliments and kisses."

"How so?"

"It reminds me of how I can't seem to stop wanting to kiss you, but I can't."

"Why don't you?"

"I'm scared I won't be able to stop."

Scott lays down beside me and says "That's too bad because I really wanna kiss you. I understand though."

I glance over at him and bite my lip before shifting so I'm hovering over him. I kiss him and Scott's hands go to my hips. I shift so I'm straddling his waist and pull away so I can speak.

"I'll learn to stop, but it's gonna take a whole lot of practice."

Scott brushes his lips against mine and says "I can help you with that."

I kiss him and we stayed, just like that, for about half hour before we switched to watching a movie and then just cuddled as we were talking. I hope we figure something out soon, because I don't think I can handle not experiencing the sparks.


	8. Sisters Before Misters, Right

A week later, Scott and I had been secretly seeing each other. As we got closer, he and Lydia seemed to grow farther apart. Of course, they never made up from their fight so they couldn't work through whatever they fought over, but Scott spent almost all his free time with me. Speaking of which, it was Friday and Scott would be coming over after practice.

"Allison," Lydia says as she walks toward me. "Wanna hangout tonight?"

"Sorry Lyds," I say. "I've got plans for tonight already."

"I do too, but I didn't want to say yes right away. I wanted to pretend that I already did, but now I can tell Stiles that you've cancelled on me."

I laugh and say "Project again?"

"Just hanging out actually."

"You two have been doing that a lot."

Lydia nods and says "Yeah. I really like spending time with him. He's so funny and sweet."

"Well, have fun. I'll see you tomorrow."

"I swapped so you and I are lab partners. I don't want you talking to Scott. I know you two are close but sisters before misters."

She walks away and I walk to my locker, where I find Scott standing next to it. I smile and start opening my locker.

"Hey beautiful," he says. "Did you hear about Chemistry?"

"I'm Lydia's partner," I say. He nods and sighs. "What's wrong?"

"I'm destroying the chances of Lydia and I having a friendship while also destroying your friendship. I feel bad. Even if being with you feels so right. I'm gonna break up with Lydia after I leave your house tonight. Get it over with and then maybe we can ease her into us having a relationship?"

"I don't know how well that would go."

Scott rests the side of his head against the locker and smiles at me. I continue packing and when I finish, he's still looking at me.

"What," I ask with a quick laugh.

He shrugs and says "It's just hard not to look at you."

I wanted to kiss him. I look both ways to make sure no one was paying attention and I kiss him quickly. It's more of a peck than a kiss but it sated me for the time being. Pushing down the urge for me to kiss him just enough so I can last till at least lunch without having his lips on mine again.

Scott smiles and says "I don't know how I'm gonna last without kissing you again till lunch."

"You'll be fine."

"Maybe one more to hold me over?"

I laugh and he kisses me quickly again. He nods and smiles wider.

"Yup, that'll do till lunch. See you at lunch?"

"Actually, no. Lydia doesn't want me talking to you so, it'll probably just be the two of us alone at the table."

Scott sighs and says "Alright. I probably should've seen that coming. I'll see you after school?"

"Definitely."

"Good. I'll meet you after practice."

/

Classes went by pretty quickly. I got home and finished all my homework before the doorbell rang. I jog down the stairs and throw open the front door to show Scott with a sweet smile.

"Hey," he said. He pulls out a red rose from behind his back. "I hope you don't mind."

I smile and pull him into a kiss. I pull away a minute later, just enough to talk to him. "I don't mind at all. You're so sweet."

Scott kisses me gently and I wrap my arms around his neck, pulling him closer. I needed him closer after not being able to see him at lunch. Scott wrapped his arms around my waist and gently kicked the front door closed. That gave me the chance to press him against the door gently. That gave me an opening to get a better angle so that I was pressed against him. He lifted me by my waist and I wrapped my legs around him. He carried me to my room and slowly laid me on the bed, him coming down after me.

"I missed you," he said when he pulled away slightly. He cups my left cheek and kisses it gently. "Really missed you. It sucks that we didn't have any classes alone after lunch."

I rub my nose against his. "I know how you feel. All I wanted was to have you near me."

"I want that. I want to be able to spend every free moment with you. I want to go to the movies. I want to go to parties together. I just want to be with you."

I pulled him back into a kiss. More passionate than we'd had so far. We only separated so I could take off his shirt and so he could take off mine.

I distantly heard a door click as Scott was kissing my neck but I pushed it to the back of my mind. My parents had gone out for a date night and had called me before Scott got here to tell me that they wouldn't be back till tomorrow afternoon. I pulled his lips back to my own and let out a moan when our lips easily synced.

"Oh my god," Lydia shouted from my right.

Scott and I broke away and turned to see Lydia with tears in her eyes.

"Lydia," I say gently.

She shakes her head and runs out the door. Scott and I both putting our shirts on before trying to chase after her but she was already in her car, driving away by the time we got to the front door.

"Oh my god. I can't believe that just happened," I say.

Scott puts his hands on my shoulders and says "It's ok. We'll fix this. We'll figure it out."

Lydia just saw me kissing Scott. She saw me kissing her boyfriend. My best friend walked into my room and ran away in tears because of me. I hurt her. I betrayed her.

"You need to go," I say. I shake his hands off my shoulders. "You need to go Scott."

"Allison," he said gently.

"No! I need you to leave."

Scott puts his hands up in surrender and starts to walk away. I go back to my room and frown at my reflection. I hurt my best friend all because of a guy. Even if that guy is Scott.


	9. It Never Happened

The next day, I found Lydia in the library, all the way in the back.

"Lydia," I say. She looks up and starts to pack her things. "Lydia, stop. I'm sorry. I'm really sorry."

"You mean for kissing my boyfriend or taking his virginity?"

"We never slept together. I'm sorry I kissed him. I'm mostly sorry for hurting you. Lydia, you're my best friend, I never wanted to hurt you."

"Funny thing about that, you did Allison. You call me your best friend but best friends don't steal their best friend's boyfriend." She starts to get tears in her eyes again. "Why Scott? You could've had any guy here. I've seen them all look at you like you're a goddess. They gave me the same look before I started dating Scott because once I did, they knew there was no chance of getting me. Why did you have to take Scott? Why my boyfriend? Of all the guys? Did you do it to spite me?"

"No. Lydia, that's not what happened. I liked him when I met him in Chemistry. Before I knew he was yours. When I found out, I fought against it. You swapped lab partners though and then the pairing in English. Let's not forget the fact that you pushed me to spend more time with him, like when you sent me to go get pizza with him. I didn't do this to hurt you. I tried to fight it so I wouldn't hurt you."

She shakes her head and says "How long?"

"Lydia, don't make this harder than it," I start to say but she cuts me off.

"How long?!"

"Since the kiss in English. That night."

She shakes her head and says "The day of the fight. You moved in on my boyfriend after he and I got into a fight. Real classy Allison."

"Lydia, I never wanted any of this to happen! Don't you get that?! I never wanted to hurt you!" I whisper shouted since we were still in the library.

"You did though! You're not understanding! You hurt me Allison! You were supposed to be my best friend. My sister. Instead you're making out with my boyfriend. You've betrayed me in the worst way. I could've forgiven you for anything else, but not this."

I felt tears forming in my own eyes. "Lydia, just tell me how I can make this better. I don't wanna lose you. You're the closest thing I've had to a best friend. You're like a sister to me. Please let me fix this. I'll do anything."

"Stop it."

I get a confused look. "Stop what? Stop apologizing? I'm not gonna do that because I'm not gonna stop being sorry. I don't want you being hurt, especially by me."

"No, stop seeing Scott. No talking to him. No texting him. You stop seeing him behind my back and you stop being friends with him. You cut off all connections to him. Pretend he doesn't even exist to you."

I can't do that. I can't pretend not to notice him. I can't stop talking to him. When he simply smiles in my direction my entire day gets brighter. I don't want to lose him. I don't want to lose Lydia though.

I nod. "I'll do it. I'll cut off all connections to Scott. Starting now." I go his contact information on my phone and show it to her as I hit the delete button.

She wipes her eyes and says "Good. Now, I have plans to talk with my boyfriend. I'll see you in class."

/

I was in the library during study period and Stiles slumped into the seat beside me.

"Hey Allison. Why so glum?"

I sigh and say "Just, missing a guy. What about you? What's got you so down?"

"Lydia freaking Martin. I finally get her to notice me. I work up the nerve to kiss her and she practically runs away from me afterwards. She hasn't even looked at me since. It's like I'm a deadly virus or something. What sucks is that I'm actually starting to become friends with her boyfriend. What would he do to me if he found out I kissed his girlfriend? He'd kill me. Socially and literally."

"I don't think he'd do either of those things."

"You didn't have to see them make up from their fight. The Queen and King reunited once again. I should've known that I didn't stand a chance with her. Scott and Lydia have always belonged together. Everyone in school knows it. I can't believe I was so stupid." He buries his face in his hands. "I just wish I didn't have to see them practically sucking each other's face off."

Just the thought of it made me want to throw up. I couldn't stand the thought of it. It was supposed to be Scott and I doing those sort of stuff, not him and Lydia. They were supposed to break up and then we'd slowly let Lydia know that we're together. That's not how it worked out though. Instead I'm not supposed to talk to him. I'm not supposed to acknowledge him. I have a feeling that in doing that, I'm gonna be in so much pain.

/

The next day, I found out that I was right about the pain. Lydia was by my locker holding a coffee cup for me but Scott wasn't anywhere in sight. In all the classes we shared, even the ones where Lydia wasn't in, he'd sit on the complete other side of the room. Chemistry came and Mr. Harris was absent so we all went to the library. I kept looking at Scott from across the room who was with the lacrosse team and Stiles as I sat with Lydia, Erica, and some other girls in our class. He'd meet my eyes every now and then, but then he'd look away after a couple of seconds.

"Allison," Lydia said as she looked at me. "Wanna grab a slice after school?"

I nod with a slight small that didn't reach my eyes. "Yeah, sure. Sounds great."

"Good. So, what are your plans for the weekend?"

"Nothing. Just gonna stay home and study."

Erica seems to have waken from her zoning out while looking at Boyd. "What? That's your weekend? That's so boring."

I shrug and say "I'm not really in the mood to do anything else." I spot Scott making his way over as Lydia gestured him over. I start walking away. "I better go. Don't wanna be late going home. Bye girls."

I rushed out after gathering my stuff. Avoiding Scott was torture. I missed him all the time. He seemed to be everywhere I looked. I can't get him out of my mind. Oh how I wish he could be mine. Only mine. We'd be happy together. We'd be constantly laughing and kissing. No, those thoughts would only make this harder. I can't think about him. I have to think about how this is saving my friendship with Lydia. That right now is the most important thing to me.


	10. Competition Between Friends

A week. I've gone an entire week without talking to Scott. A week full of pain. A week full of envy. A week full of despair. Today was my first day really seeing him since Lydia walked in on us making out. He was sitting across from me at lunch, Lydia to his left. 

"So Scott got a gutter ball and it was the funniest thing ever," Lydia said with a laugh.

Everyone at the table joining her. She hadn't really told them about why Scott and I weren't really talking. As far as they know, Scott and I are just in a fight. 

Scott chuckles and says "I tell you that I'm a terrible bowler, every year. You never listen."

"I keep hoping that you'll get better at it. Some how I feel like you get worse."

Scott chuckles and says "Thanks for the support Lyds."

She kisses his cheek and I look down at the apple on my food tray. Seeing them being so casual and happy together hurt worse than not having seen him. I prefer not seeing him. At least then I don't have to watch him and Lydia look like no one else in the world matters. I glanced up and saw Scott. He was looking at me. He was looking at me the same way he did whenever he was fighting the urge to kiss me. That look hurt me even more. I pushed him away. I chose to listen to Lydia. I could've had him. He'd be mine if I hadn't chosen Lydia. 

Lydia was looking at us and says "Allison, why don't you and I go bowling tomorrow afternoon? We'll have a girls week. Just you and me."

"Sounds like fun Lydia. I'll be there. What about Sunday afternoon though? What'll we do that day?"

"Bowling again. So we can have rematches."

"Alright. Warning though, I'm really good."

"Finally, someone who can keep up with me in bowling." 

She nudges Scott playfully and I felt like I'd be sick if I didn't walk away now. 

"We'll talk more later. I've gotta go to my locker." I walk away from the table at a calm pace. Not wanting to clue anyone in. "See you in Chemistry."

/

The next day, Lydia and I went to the bowling alley. We started at an easy pace, but her cell buzzed with a text from Scott. That's when I had had enough. I just started getting strikes continuously. Lydia glared at me slightly as she did the same. It went back and forth like that for three games. 

"It's a tie," we said at the same time. 

We had gotten the same score. It was a tie. We slumped to our seats and I noticed Lydia's screensaver was a picture of her, Erica, Scott, some other girls, and some guys from the lacrosse team. She was watching me carefully so I looked away when I realized I was staring.

"I noticed you and Stiles talking between classes a lot lately."

I nod and say "Yeah, we're friends."

She looks at her hands and says "Has he asked you out or anything?"

"I mean, we're going to a movie on Monday, but totally not a date."

"Oh, ok." She says with a nod but her smile had faltered. "Do you like him?"

"Yeah, I like him." I then register what she's asking. "No, not like that. I liked him as a friend. Nothing more. Totally just friends."

Her smile seemed to come back to its full force. 

"So, we ended in a tie."

"Yup," she said with a smile. "You're a worthy bowling opponent. But you're an even better best friend."

"I doubt that Lyds. Thanks though."

"No, I'm serious. You're a great best friend. In fact, I'm gonna find you a date to the Winter Formal. Come on, I'm starved. Let's get something to eat."

/

The next day we were laughing like we usually did. We seemed to be less competitive and I don't know why. Lydia had turned off her phone before we started which kinda confused me. She always kept it on. 

"So, I think I found you a date to the Formal."

"Oh," I say sadly. "I actually don't plan on going to the Formal."

She shakes her head and says "You're going. I have a date already. I found you a date. It'll be perfect. He's sweet and handsome. It's a blind date."

"Lydia, I really don't feel like going."

"You're going and that's final."

We ended the game with Lydia winning. Somehow that hurt me. Then I put the pieces together. I was staring at the picture of Scott on her phone and that's when we started getting competitive. We ended in a tie. It was as if the winner got him, but now Lydia won. She got Scott. 

"Allison," she said softly. "What's wrong?"

I reach up and felt my cheek was wet. A  tear had slipped from my eye. 

"Nothing. I'm fine. How about we head back to my place and watch the Notebook?"

She nods and says "Yeah. Um, I just need to tell Erica that I'll have to reschedule our lunch."

 


	11. Support

Have you ever looked back at a mistake and wondered what you could've done to prevent it? Well, join the club. I can't stop replaying Lydia walking in on Scott and I out of my head. I got my phone fixed and got all her messages that she had sent but hadn't gone through. If only I had gotten it fixed before then so that everything would've worked out. I'd have Lydia  _and_  Scott. Instead, I only have Lydia. 

"Allison," my mom shouted from downstairs. "Lydia's here."

I walk downstairs and see Lydia in the living room. She had a red shopping bag with her and she had the biggest smile on her face. 

"I got you the dress," she said. Pulling out the black dress we had seen at the mall. "You have to wear it for the Winter Formal tomorrow night. You'll look amazing in it."

"Lyds, I really appreciate it, but I just don't feel up to going. I really appreciate you trying to get me to go, but I'm not going. Cancel the date you found me and just let it go. You go have fun. I'll just stay here and watch some movies or something."

"Allison, you can't. I got you the perfect date and he's so happy to go with you. You can't make me cancel. Allison, you'll have fun."

"No Lydia! I'm not going! I don't want to go!"

"You're going!"

"No, I'm not!"

She grabbed my shoulders and shook me. "You're going! That's it. I'll be here with your date tomorrow night."

She leaves before I could protest. I don't wanna go to the dance. I don't wanna see Scott and Lydia dancing. I don't wanna see them kissing. I go up to my room and sit on the edge of my bed.

"Allison," my Aunt Kate said gently from my doorway. "Is everything ok?" 

I shake my head and lean into her when she sits on my bed. Kate always came whenever I needed her. I remember when I was in freshman year, I got bullied by Debbie Nolton for wearing the same leather jacket as her and for everyone saying I looked better in it. I didn't cry till I got home and even though Kate lived two towns away, she drove over to be with me. Told me to not let it get me down. That I shouldn't let what anyone says hurt me. 

"Is it about a guy?" I nod and she shifts so I can look at her. "What's the problem?"

"I want to go to the dance with Scott, but I can't."

"Why not? You two seemed great together. Did he not ask you?"

I sigh and say "It's complicated."

"Did you two get into a fight?"

"He's dating Lydia. He was always dating Lydia. They got into a fight though."

Kate nods and says "So that's when you and he started getting closer?"

I nod and she pulls me into a hug. I felt the tears rolling down my cheeks.

"I want him to be my date, but he's not. I want him to be my boyfriend, but he's not. We haven't spoken for an entire week. It hurts so much. I just want him and I can't have him. Lydia has him. She's always had him, but now he's officially hers." I pull away and wipe my tears. "Lydia wants me at the dance and she found me a date. She even bought me a dress. I don't wanna see them together. I don't want to go because if I do and I see them acting like a happy couple again, it'll mean that I've lost him. That what we had is over. I don't want to admit that. It sucks that I had to choose and I chose Lydia."

Kate strokes my arm and says "Sweetheart, guys come and go. Friendships last forever though. Is Scott worth losing Lydia?"

"I don't know why I can't have them both. A best friend and a boyfriend."

"Life is cruel kiddo. It'll throw problems at you left and right. It's how you handle them that makes you who you are. Falling for your best friend's boyfriend is just one of the many problems you'll face. Do you think that Scott is worth ending your friendship with Lydia?"

"I don't know. I care about them both. I want them both around. I miss him. It hurts just thinking about him."

Kate smiles sadly and says "I think you just answered my question. If you really think he's worth it, go to the dance. Show him what he's missing. You're an Argent girl. Argent girls are totally badass."

I laugh and hug her tightly. "I love you Kate. You're always here for me."

"Of course kiddo. I love you too." She stands and stands in my doorway. "If Lydia's a true friend, which I think she is if she forgave you for the situation, she'll be ok if you date Scott. You can't help who you fall for. If you could, there would be fewer problems in the world."

"Thanks Kate." 

She nods and I look outside my window to see its dark out. We ate dinner together and I went to bed. My phone got a text from Lydia though. 

_To Allison_   
_From Lydia_

_Luv ya Allison. You're the sister I never got. I'm glad you moved here._

I am too. I don't know how glad she'll be when I kiss Scott at the dance tomorrow. I want to be with him and I'm gonna tell him that at the dance tomorrow. Tomorrow. I have a good feeling about it. That's when everything will get fixed. I hope my feeling is right.

 


	12. Dancing and Laughing

The next day, I got ready for the dance. I did my makeup and put on the dress. My dad came in and smiled at me. 

"You look amazing. So grown up."

I smile and say "Thanks dad."

"Have fun tonight sweetheart."

"I will dad."

"Lydia's downstairs. She's wearing a beautiful silver dress."

I sigh and look at my hands. "Is there a guy with her?"

"She's alone." He gestures to the door. "You're mother and I are heading out for a date week and we won't be back till next Friday. Kate's gonna be here though and you're welcomed to stay with Lydia whenever you feel like it."

I hug him and say "Thanks dad. Have fun."

He leaves and I put the finishing touches on my hair before going downstairs to see Lydia sitting on the couch. 

"Wow, you look stunning," she said. 

I smile and say "You do too. You excited about tonight? You ready to have fun?"

"You kidding, it's gonna be awesome."

The doorbell rings and I see Stiles in a white button down shirt, a black tie, and dress pants.

"Wow," he said. "Allison, you look great."

Stiles? Stiles was my date? I like the guy but not in this way.

"You girls ready to go?"

Lydia nods and says "Allison, you ride shotgun."

She's kidding, right? She didn't really think I'd want to go to the dance with Stiles as my date. I mean, he's not a bad guy or bad looking, but he's not Scott. No one was Scott. 

"Let's go ladies. We don't wanna be late."

Lydia nods and grabs my hand, pulling me to his jeep. She opens the passenger door for me and I slowly climb in. I'll have to let Stiles down gently. I don't want to hurt his feelings or lose his friendship. I need all the friends I can get after tonight. 

"We're here," Stiles said

Lydia pulls me out of the jeep and leads me between the buses. 

"Lydia, why aren't we going into the dance?"

Scott stood in between the buses in a black suit and a black tie. He held a single red rose in his hand. 

"You can't go into the dance without your date," Lydia said with a smile. 

I turn to her and say "What?"

"Scott's your date."

Scott. Scott's my date. Wait, he's her boyfriend though.

"Scott's your boyfriend. What about the staying away from him deal we have?"

Lydia grabs my hand and says "Scott and I broke up after the lunch where you walked away. I said I wouldn't make you choose between us, but I did. I was wrong to do that." She pushes me into Scott so that I was looking into his eyes. "I realized I messed up at the end of that lunch so Scott and I broke up. Scott's never looked at me the way he's looked at you. But I've also never looked at him the way you do. I look at Stiles like that. You two are perfect for each other and I'm so sorry for not having noticed that before. I want you as my best friend Allison and Scott wants you as his girlfriend. Do you want to have us both in your life? Scott as your boyfriend and me as your best friend?"

I turn to Lydia and shake my head. "I don't want you as my best friend." She looks down at the ground. "I want you as my sister."

She smiles and gestures to Scott and me. "I'll see you two in the dance. I've got a date to get to."

She walks away and I focused my full attention Scott. He was smiling widely and goes to speak but I press my finger against his lips. Now wasn't the moment for talking. I replaced my finger with my lips and he instantly kisses me back. 

"I love you," he says when we pull away. 

He loves me. He said it. He loves me.

"I love you too," I say gently. 

He hugs me tightly and kisses the side of my head. "I've missed you so much Allison. Not talking to or seeing you hurt me so much, that I didn't know it was possible to feel pain from missing someone so much. I don't wanna be apart from you for that long ever again."

"Good, because I don't plan on leaving your side for a really long time."

"Sounds good to me."

 


	13. Announcing Us

The day after the dance, Scott waited for me outside of the school. He smiled as he walked to meet me half way. 

"Hey beautiful," he said. "How'd you sleep?"

"Fine," I said. Kissing him quickly. "Wanna come over tonight? My parents are out of town. We could watch a movie."

Scott nods and says "I'll watch anything."

"Even the Notebook?"

He sighs and says "Even that. Anything as long as I get to be near you."

I kiss him slowly. Reveling in the fact that I'm allowed to do this. I'm allowed to kiss him. I'm allowed to go on dates with him. I have him and I don't plan on letting him go. I pulled away when I remembered that we still had classes to attend. 

"Excuse me," Lydia said as she walked toward us. "I'll be walking in with my best friend. You have morning practice so shoo."

Scott laughs and kisses me quickly. "See you later."

I nod and say "Good luck at practice."

He jogs away and Lydia smiles at me. 

"You seem so much happier. Both of you. Even I'm happier. This was the way it was supposed to be. You and Scott and Stiles and me. The four of us were meant to be together."

I was so lucky to have Lydia. She forgave me when she had every right not to. I stole her boyfriend and she's acting like it never happened. 

"What's that look for," she asked. 

"Why?"

She laughs and says "I don't read minds so you'll have to elaborate on your question just a tiny bit more."

"You forgave me for kissing Scott. You even set us up together. Why?"

Lydia sits on the steps and says "You moved a lot so you didn't really get the chance to have a best friend. I had so many opportunities but they all ended up stabbing me in the backs. It hurts being betrayed by the people you care most about. After you hurt me, I was so angry. I wanted to pretend you didn't exist." I felt like crying. I hurt her so badly. She turns to me with a smile though. "You apologized. None of my old best friends did that. They went their way and I went mine. You stopped talking to him. You were miserable all because I practically asked you to be. You were willing to do anything to get my forgiveness. You look at Scott the way my mom used to look at my father before their work got between them. You love him and were willing to avoid him all to keep me happy and from being hurt. That's why I did all this. You deserve to be happy. Scott and I weren't meant to last. You belong with him and I belong with Stiles. I just let my anger get in the way of that."

"Lydia, I'm so sorry that I hurt you. I never meant for that to happen."

Lydia shoves me playfully and says "Allison, I forgive you. I've actually never been happier. Stiles makes me so happy and it just feels so right to be with him. We both got the guy we were supposed to. I think it's a win-win situation."

I laugh and we stand up. Lydia pulling me into a tight hug. I hugged her back with just as much force. It feels nice to have a best friend. Especially one like Lydia. 

"Ok," Lydia said pulling away after a second. "Let's head into school. We'll be late to first period or else."

We walk through the double doors and all the students turn to look at us. Shock on their faces. Erica walks over and glares at me. 

"You've got a lot of nerve coming to town and taking the King from his Queen."

Lydia glares and says "Back off Erica. I'm with Stilinski and I paired them together."

"Why on earth would you do that? This is Scott we're talking about. You're just gonna let this...tramp take him from you?"

"Scott and I have been over for a while. We just didn't know it till Allison came. You wanna call someone a tramp, look in the mirror." She turns to the other students. "Anyone else got a problem with Scott and I having broken up?"

A girl in the crowd laughs and says "Only that we didn't get a chance to make a move on him."

Another girl shouts "Way to go Argent! You and McCall."

Erica's jaw was clenched and Lydia smirks at her before we continue our walk down the hall. Girls congratulating me as I made my way to my locker. They were acting like I'd just won gold in the Olympics. 

"Hey beautiful," Scott said from behind my locker door which caused me to jump. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snuck up on you like that."

I laugh and say "It's fine. I was just thinking."

"About what," he asked sweetly as he wrapped his arms around my waist. 

"It's just that everyone is treating the fact that I'm dating you as a big achievement."

Scott laughs and says "So I'm pretty much considered a trophy boyfriend? I don't know whether to be offended or proud that I'm so desirable."

I laugh and peck him on the lips quickly. "You're definitely desirable. How was morning practice?"

"Good. After school practice is cancelled so how about instead of that movie we were planning, we have a picnic at the lookout cliff?" He then shakes his head. "We can totally do the movie though. Whichever you want. I don't mind."

"A picnic sounds perfect." He smiles and I just couldn't help but smile back. "Have I mentioned how your smiles are contagious?"

He laughs and says "No. Should I stay away? It could secretly be a deadly disease. Death by smile doesn't sound too pleasing."

I kiss him deeply and we kiss for a couple of minutes before I pull away with an even wider smile. 

"I'll take my chances."

He kisses my forehead and says "I've got to get to class. See you in last period Chemistry?"

"Of course."

/

In Chemistry, Lydia and I were working on finishing our lab report when I noticed all the girls watching Scott. He was looking at me every time I took a glance at him. I don't know how he's still writing his report. I haven't seen his eyes leave me since we walked into the classroom. 

"Mr. McCall," Mr. Harris said with annoyance. "Is there something about Ms. Argent that's caught your attention? Why don't you share it with the class?"

Scott's eyes never leave mine as he says "Id love to Mr. Harris, but I'd need more than thirty minutes. Everything she does catches my attention. She's just so amazing that it's impossible to not notice her."

All the girls in class swooned at his answer while Lydia nudges me with her shoulder gently. I felt my cheeks burning and knew I was blushing.

Mr. Harris rolls his eyes and says "Get back to work Mr. McCall."

Scott shot me one more glance and flashed me a smile before turning to his work. 

Lydia leans toward me and says "You have that boy wrapped around your finger."

Stiles smiles at Lydia and Lydia blows him a kiss as she blushes. 

"Looks like Stiles has you under a spell. You're blushing."

Lydia shrugs and says "So are you." She then gestures back to the guys tables and both of them are looking at us with sweet smiles. "Then again, with boyfriends like them, how can we not be?"


	14. Some Are Welcoming and Some Not So Much

Scott and I had been dating for an entire month now. It was great. He was coming over for dinner tomorrow night and I was so excited that he'd get to formally meet my parents. Aunt Kate even moved back to town so we'd all be together so he'd even get to meet her. Tonight I was meeting Melissa though. 

"Hey kiddo," Kate said from my doorway. "Special plans with the boyfriend tonight?"

I look at my white tank and jeans in the mirror. I put on my little black jacket over it. 

"I'm meeting his mom." I take a deep breath before turning to her. "What do you think? Too casual? Should I do something more formal?"

She laughs and says "You're stressing this way too much dear. Scott likes you no matter what you wear. I'm sure his mother will love you just the way you are."

"I'm just worried. You've met Lydia. She finds a way to charm everyone. She can fit into any conversation. I can't. What if she doesn't like me because I'm nothing like Lydia?"

Kate grabs my shoulders and says "How do you and Scott feel about each other?"

"I love him and he loves me."

"Then you have nothing to worry about. He knows you're nothing like Lydia and he loves you. His mom will be the same."

"How can you be so sure? What if she hates me and then Scott breaks up with me? What if he stops talking to me because his mother disapproves?"

Kate turns me so I'm facing my mirror. "Look at that beautiful young lady in the mirror. What person could ever not like her? His mother will adore you kiddo. Just be your normal self and you'll win her over in no time. Give her one of those Argent smiles and you'll be fine. You're an Argent girl. We're confident, smart, beautiful, and extremely skilled."

I take a deep breath and nod. "You're right. I'll be fine. Scott and I will be fine. Everything will go great. We'll be fine."

Kate smiles and walks me to the front door. She throws me the car keys before gesturing me out the door. Mom walks over and hugs me tightly.

"Don't be nervous sweetheart. Just be yourself and she'll adore you." 

With a deep breath, I got into the car and drive to the McCall household. Pulling into the driveway, I sat frozen in the drivers seat. I couldn't will myself to get out of the car. If I got out, I would have to go to the door. If I went to the door, I'd have to ring the doorbell. If I did that, someone would have to answer. What if Melissa is the one to open the door? What would she think when she sees me? 

I need Scott. I need him to hold me and make me feel like everything would be ok. I need him to reassure me that I'll be fine and that no matter what happens tonight, that we'd be fine. I need him to tell me that his mother will think that I'm absolutely perfect. 

I shake my head and get out of the car. I need to stop overthinking this. All I have to do is be myself. Relax and be your usual self. 

"Here goes nothing," I muttered to myself as I rang the doorbell. "Please be Scott. Please be Scott." Muttering those words over and over as I gnawed at my bottom lip.   

"I've got it," Scott shouted in the house. I let out a sigh of relief when he opened the door. "Hey beautiful." He kisses me gently and all my worries disappeared. "I'm so sorry about tonight."

I get a confused look and say "What's wrong with tonight?"

"Well, my mom and I aren't exactly alone for the night." He takes my hand and guides me into the house. "Allison's here," he said into the house. 

Melissa walks out from the kitchen, rubbing the flour from her hands onto her apron and smiling sweetly. "You must be the famous Allison. I've heard so much about you. I'm so happy I finally get to meet you." She pulls me into a tight hug. 

"Cookies are done," Lydia said as she walked out of the kitchen carrying a tray with chocolate chip cookies. "Hey Allison."

Lydia was here. Lydia was baking with Melissa. Lydia was standing right in front of me on the night I was supposed to be able to prove to Melissa that I'm the better fit for Scott.

"Allison, you have to try one of these chocolate chips," Melissa said as she walked to stand behind Lydia, placing her hands on her shoulders. "Lydia makes the best chocolate chips. I can eat three of them within five seconds after they've cooled down."

Lydia laughs and says "Oh please, Scott practically inhales the entire tray as soon as they come out of the oven."

I turn to Scott and see him smiling at me. He leans down and kisses my cheek. 

"We just ordered pizza," Scott said. "I got your favorites, a pepperoni slice and a Hawaiian slice."

Melissa smiles and says "Don't worry Lydia, I ordered yours with extra cheese and well done, just how you like it."

"You know me so well Melissa."

"Of course sweetheart, you're practically family." 

Lydia smiles at me and says "I'll take my slice to go. I don't wanna interfere with you three hanging out tonight. Melissa, next time I come over, we'll bake brownies."

"Oh dear, do you really have to go so soon? You know you're always welcomed to stay as long as you'd like. It's always a pleasure having you over."

Lydia shakes her head and says "No, I should really leave you three alone. I've already taken up way too much of your time. I had a lot of fun though."

Melissa shakes her head and says "I insist. You must stay."

Lydia then says "I really shouldn't. I'm intruding already."

"Nonsense. You're never intruding. Right Scott?"

Scott chuckles and says "Come on Lyds. It's already dark out and you walked here. Stay for pizza and a movie and then I'll walk you home. What do you say?"

This could not be happening. I'm already losing him. Lydia turns to me with a sweet smile. 

"I say I'd love to, as long as Allison doesn't mind of course."

Of course I mind. You have to leave. "Of course I don't mind. It'll be fun to have you here." Why the hell did I just say that?

"It's settled. I'm staying."

 


	15. I'm Not Part of the Family

I was seated between Scott's legs as we sat on the floor. I leaned back into his chest as his arms wrapped around me tightly. Melissa had gone upstairs to get the family albums. 

Lydia says "Allison, do you wanna go to the mall tomorrow afternoon?"

"Yeah. It'll be fun."

Melissa comes back with a giant smile. "I found the old albums." She opens it to the back. "Would you look at you two? A complete mess. I swore I wouldn't allow you both into the kitchen at the same time ever again."

She turns the album toward us to show a picture of Scott and Lydia covered in flour. 

Scott laughs and says "I had flour in my ears. It took me an hour in the shower just to get it all out."

"I look like a ghost," Lydia said with a giggle. "We were making cookies."

Melissa laughs and says "That's when we deemed Lydia part of the family."

Part of the family. Lydia's part of the family while I'm just an outsider. I'd never be able to compete with Lydia. Melissa and her are so close. She loves Lydia. I'd be surprised if she even remembers my name at the end of tonight. 

"Hey," Scott whispered into my ear softly as he tightened his hold on me. "You ok? You tensed up."

"I'm fine. Just got lost in thought."

Scott frowns and says "You touched your eyebrow. You lied."

Lydia and Melissa were looking through the pictures and laughing so they didn't hear us. I shift slightly so I can look at him over my shoulder. 

"I did get lost in thought."

"So you're not fine," he asked with worry filling his features. "What's wrong? Do you have a headache? Low blood sugar?"

I laugh and shake my head. "Nothing like that. I'm fine, I'm just, worried."

"Let me help." He kisses my forehead gently. "You're problems are my problems now. Tell me what I can do to make it better."

I kiss him quickly and rest my forehead against his. "You already have." I shift back and cuddle into his chest again. 

Lydia's phone rings and she leaves the room to talk for a while. Melissa showing me pictures of Scott when he was younger. 

"Melissa, I'm sorry to ask, but my parents are going out of town for the night and they asked if I could stay here for the night. I'd be fine on my own but dad insists that I not be home alone. Do you mind," Lydia asked as she took her seat again. 

Melissa waves it off and says "Of course not dear."

She would be spending the night? You've got to be kidding me. She doesn't even have pajamas!

"You can borrow one of Scott's old shirts," she said.

Lydia nods and says "Alright. Thanks Melissa."

This is unbelievable. She's sleeping here. At my boyfriend's house. She'll be wearing one of his shirts. 

"Allison," Melissa said. "You should stay too. We could make a movie night out of it. You'll get to help me make the McCall famous pancakes in the morning."

Lydia then says "It took you three months before you even let me stand outside the kitchen while you made them. Six months before you let me help."

I felt myself smiling widely. Melissa likes me. She actually likes me. A few more hours and Melissa stands with a yawn. 

"I'm gonna head to bed. Don't stay up too late you three." She hugs Lydia before kissing Scott's forehead and doing the same to me. "It was such an honor meeting you Allison. I hope you'll be over more often."

Scott kisses the side of my head and says "She will be if I have anything to say about it."

Melissa goes upstairs and Lydia shifts so she's on the couch behind us. 

"So, for the mall tomorrow, wanna meet there at noon?"

I nod and say "Sure. I have to be home by five though."

"I can't make any promises. We might be looking at dresses for a really long time."

The three of us had fallen asleep in the living room. Lydia draped across the couch while I had my face curled into Scott's neck, his arms holding me close. I got up gently as to not wake Scott and made my way to the kitchen. Melissa was standing their in a purple robe. 

"Good morning," Melissa said with a soft smile. "Coffee?"

"No, I'm good. Thank you." I gesture to the stove and pancake mix. "Do you mind if I make pancakes?"

Melissa shakes her head and says "Please, feel free to do whatever you want. I'll just show you the McCall recipe a different time. You'll be over again."

I made a tray full and Melissa took of bite of one and her eyes widened in shock. 

"These are delicious. Better than mine."

I laugh and say "I put a dash of vanilla in the batter to give it something extra."

"I'll have to do that from now on." She smiles at me and says "I truthfully didn't think I'd like you."

"Why not?"

"Because you're the reason Scott cheated on Lydia."

I felt my smile fall and I look down at my hands. "Ms. McCall, I, I didn't mean for that to happen. I wish it hadn't of happened like that but-," she stopped me though.

"Sweetheart, I don't blame you. Sure, the two of you could have handled it better, but you tried fighting it. When Scott told me, the night that Lydia found out, I was so angry at him and at you. He and Lydia were trying again and Scott seemed absolutely miserable, all because he wasn't talking to you. When Lydia came over after school and said that she wanted Scott to take you to the dance, he just lit up. I've never seen him so happy before. Even when him and Lydia were on good terms. The fight that happened the day of your first kiss, it wasn't the first and it definitely wasn't the worst. They had a unique relationship, but they were better off as just friends. If I simply mention your name, his eyes just seem to light up. You can call me Melissa dear, it's ok."

"I'm still sorry that it happened like that. I can't apologize for wanting to be with Scott though. I just can't stop smiling when I'm around him and he's such a great guy. I hate being away from him and when he smiles at me, I feel like everything is the world is ok."

Melissa smiles and says "Well, I know he feels the same about you. Since it seems you'll be around here more often, how about we make you part of the family?"

I wanted to jump up and down. She likes me. She wants me to be part of the family. I knew I was smiling widely and nodded. Scott came in and seemed half asleep. He kissed me quickly and then Melissa on the cheek before taking a bite from one of my pancakes. His eyes widened.

"Woah, mom, these are delicious. What did you do?" 

Melissa laughs and says "It was all Allison."

Scott turns to me and says "Best pancakes I've ever had."

/

Lydia and I were in the mall and she turned to me. 

"So, Melissa seemed pleased with you."

I nod and say "She likes you a lot."

"I know," she said flipping her hair. "I'm too great to hate. She says that I'm like a daughter to her. I'm hard to compete with so don't sweat it if she doesn't immediately invite you to go back over."

"Is this supposed to hurt me? I know you met her first because you dated Scott first, but he's my boyfriend now. Melissa's already invited me over for dinner again. She wants the three of us to spend time alone. Probably because  _someone_  decided to crash our dinner by staying."

Lydia turns to me with a glare. "Are you accusing me of trying to keep Melissa to myself?"

"I didn't say that!"

"You didn't have to!" She shakes her head at me. "You can't compete with me. Melissa loves me!"

I glare and say "You think this is a competition? All I was trying to do was meet my boyfriend's mother. In fact, she already welcomed me into the family. We took a picture while you were asleep. It was just the three of us."

"You really think if Melissa had to choose between the two of us, that she'd choose  _you_  over  _me_? You're insane."

"Why don't you worry about Mr. Stilinski not liking you instead of worrying about my relationship with my boyfriend's mother."

Lydia shrugs and says "I don't have to worry about it. Melissa's smart. She'd choose me. Sure, Scott loves you and you two could end up getting married, but you'll forever be in my shadow in the eyes of Melissa."

I laugh and say "Melissa's happy if her son's happy. And I make Scott happy. At least according to Scott and Melissa, I do. So continue to be delusional Lydia, but Melissa's already decided that she likes me and wants me around. Looks like you're wrong."

I start to walk away. "I'm never wrong. I'll always be Melissa's favorite. There's nothing you can do to change that!"

I clench my hands into fists and shake my head. No, Melissa likes me. I'll be Melissa's favorite. She wants a challenge, then that's what she'll get.


	16. And For Dessert, An Argument

Scott came over for dinner and he looked handsome. A black button down shirt and a pair of dark jeans. He held flowers in one hand and a tray covered in tinfoil in the other. 

"Hey beautiful."

I kiss him quickly before saying "Hey handsome." 

My mom walks over and says "Scott, we never officially met. I'm Victoria Argent."

"Pleasure to meet you Mrs. Argent. Thank you for having me tonight."

"Oh don't thank us yet, we haven't interrogated you yet."

I turned to Scott, nervous on how he would react to my mother's comment, but he just chuckled. All the worry just melted out of me. Scott held out the flowers to me and I smiled as I took them into my hands. 

"I hope you don't mind Mrs. Argent, but I brought over a dessert. My mom and I always make this chocolate cake  once a month and we made it this morning so I thought you might enjoy some of it so I brought it."

My mom shakes her head and says "I don't mind at all. I'm sure it'll be delicious. Dinner is almost ready. Until then, why don't you go take a seat in the living room?"

Scott nods and says "Of course. Unless you'd like some help in the kitchen."

"You cook," mom asks with a raised eyebrow. "Not many boys do."

"My mother taught me. She works long hours as a nurse so I'll make her dinner on the nights she's off. She needs time to rest."

"That's very considerate of you." She then shakes her head. "I'm fine on my own. It was nice of you to offer."

Scott shakes his head and says "My pleasure." 

Mom walks away and I put the flowers in a vase on the side table. I turn back to Scott and smile sweetly before wrapping my arms around his neck. 

"You might actually make it out of here alive."

Scott smiles and kisses me softly. I felt so light, almost as if I could fly. He pulled away and rested his forehead against mine. 

"My mom says "hi". You were such a big hit with her. She was raving about you all morning."

"Really," I asked and he nodded quickly. "I'm so glad. I know how close you and your mom are. I didn't want her to hate me and then us break up."

Scott brushes his nose against mine and says "Even if she didn't like you right away, I wouldn't have broken up with you. She'd learn to love you, but that's not a problem. She loves you just as much as I do."

"Oh really and how much is that," I ask playfully. 

"So much that the universe looks like a grain of sand compared to how much I love you."

I kiss him but pull away when I hear someone clear their throat. I see Aunt Kate standing at the bottom of the staircase watching us. 

"You must be the famous Aunt Kate," Scott said sticking his hand out to her. "I've heard so much about you."

Aunt Kate smiles at his hand and takes it gently. "Like wise. I've heard my fair share of stories about you." She leans forward and turns to me. "Adorable brown eyes. Nice choice Allison."

I felt the blush building and Kate grabs Scott's shoulders and starts leading him to the living room. Dad sat on the couch and stands when he sees Scott.

"Scott," he said shaking his hand. 

Scott smiles sweetly and says "Mr. Argent, thank you for having me over."

Dad pulls out a pistol. The embarrassment rushed through me when Scott's eyes widened. Melissa had cookies for me and my father has a pistol for Scott. A fully loaded pistol I notice as he starts repeatedly opening and closing the compartment. 

"So Scott," my mother said when we were seated at the table. "What clubs are you a part of?"

"I'm captain of the lacrosse team."

My father then says "Have you ever smoked pot?"

I bury my face in my hands. Of course my dad has to be so protective. I think he's trying to scare Scott away.

"No sir," Scott says. 

"What about steroids?"

"Dad, seriously," I ask as I remove my hands from my face.

"No sir," he said. "Drug free. Except for Advil, occasionally."

Dad laughed at that. I couldn't help the smile that formed on my lips. The rest of the night went smoothly. Scott and my father spoke for most of the night. I walked into the kitchen with mom and Kate. 

"He's wonderful," she said. "He's quite charming."

"So you like him," I asked with a smile.

Mom nods and says "I think he's a good young man and he makes you happy, so yes I like him."

Kate then says "He's a great kisser according to your daughter."

I blushed and mom rolls her eyes at Kate. When we walked back out with the desserts, dad and Scott were seated next to each other and playing cards as they laughed. 

"You two having fun," I asked as I stepped behind Scott, resting my hands on his shoulders. 

Dad then says "Sweetheart, come here. I need good luck. Your boyfriend is creaming me."

I laugh and go stand behind my dad. He draws a card from the deck and cheers as he places it on the table. 

Scott groans and says "I can't beat that."

"My lucky charm," my dad said as he kisses my hand. 

Scott then says "Alright, I lost. I think I need a kiss to make me feel better."

I walk over and lean in to kiss him but his phone buzzes. I look at the table and see Lydia calling. 

"Hey," he said as he answers the phone. "What's up?" He looks at the clock and says "She should be home in an hour. Yeah, sure, I'll meet you and we'll walk together. Alright, I'll see you in half an hour. Alright, see ya."

"Lydia?"

Scott nods and wraps his arms around my waist. "Yeah. She wants to bake another batch of cookies. She wants to try some different recipes. She wants to make a night of it. The three of us hanging out, like the old days."

I pull out of his arms and say "You should go."

He gets a shocked look but stands. "Ok." He turns to everyone and shakes their hands. "Mr. and Mrs. Argent, it was a pleasure meeting you. Kate, it was nice to meet someone so important to Allison."

Dad then says "Likewise. Next time you're over, we'll have a rematch."

"You can count on it sir."

I walk him to the door and Scott leans in to kiss me but I turn so he gets my cheek instead. 

"What's wrong? What did I do?"

I shake my head and say "I can't believe you."

"What did I do? I thought I did really well tonight. I got along with your parents and your aunt. Why are you upset with me?"

"Lydia is going over to your house? You two are going to be hanging out?"

Scott then says "Yeah, so what? I thought it would be ok. I hung out with you when I was with Lydia."

"Exactly. You and I were seeing each other behind her back."

"Allison, I'm not sneaking around with Lydia. I love you. I didn't love Lydia." He puts his hands on my upper arms. "I'll cancel. I won't let her come over. You can monitor all my texts messages and my calls. Anything if it makes you feel better. I don't want you to feel threatened by other girls. You're the only one I think about."

I sigh and lean into him. "I'm sorry. I just, Lydia is perfect. I have this fear that you're going to realize that and break up with me."

"You're my definition of perfect. Lydia's alright but you're the one I want. Let me cancel on Lydia and then we can just sit outside and talk." He kisses the top of my head. "I'm sorry that I've made you feel that way."

I rest my head on his shoulder and says "Our first fight."

Scott shrugs and says "One fight doesn't mean that we're gonna be doing that all the time." 

I nod and say "Wanna sit on the roof with me?"

"Yeah. Let me just cancel the thing with Lydia. I'm really sorry that you felt threatened by Lydia. You have nothing to worry about though. I'm yours and only yours."

I kiss him softly and we cuddled on the roof after he called Lydia. The moon looked amazing and Scott fell asleep at the end of my bed after we had gone back inside. I laid down and just as I was about to close my eyes, my phone buzzed. 

 _To Allison_  
_From Lydia_

_I know you had something to do with Scott and I's plans getting cancelled. You want to play like that, fine. Bring it Allison. You'll never replace me in Melissa's eyes. Enjoy your relationship with Scott because he's the only McCall who will like you better than me. Sweet dreams._

I glare down at the message and put my phone face down on the nightstand. Scott wakes up and moves behind me. I burrow into his chest and thoughts of out shining Lydia pop into my head. 

"I love you," Scott muttered into my hair. 

Thoughts of the war with Lydia disappeared from my mind as Scott's words registered. My smile returned at full force and I tried to get closer to him.

I lace my fingers with his as I say "I love you too."

He kisses my head and I start to drift a few minutes later. His steady breathing and strong heartbeat lulling me into a peaceful sleep.

 


	17. That's Low, Even For You

The next morning, I woke up with my head on Scott's chest. He was still in the same clothes from yesterday and I could smell a hint of his cologne. He was stroking my arm and I looked up to see him smiling. 

"Good morning beautiful."

I smile and rest my chin on his chest. "Good morning. I could get used to this."

He kisses my forehead and says "Used to what?"

"Waking up in your arms. It's nice."

"I like having you in my arms." He kisses my cheek quickly. "You drool."

"I do not!"

Scott laughs and lifts his arm to show the wet mark near his sleeve. "I thought it was kinda cute."

"You think everything is cute."

"Anything relating to you at least."

Aunt Kate came in and says "Well, it's not much of a surprise to see you here. Care to join us for breakfast brown eyes?"

Scott blushes and says "Um, I don't think Mr and Mrs. Argent would appreciate that."

Mom walks in and says "Allison, why aren't you–," but stops when she spots Scott. "I can see. Alright, downstairs you two. Scott, care to help Allison with breakfast?"

"It'd be my pleasure Mrs. Argent."

I smile meekly and say "We'll be downstairs in a minute?"

Aunt Kate says "Take your time."

Mom slaps Kate's shoulder and says "Hurry up you two."

Kate and mom leave and I turn to Scott with a laugh.

"That was totally embarrassing."

Scott kisses my cheek and says "It wasn't that bad. Come on, let's go make breakfast."

/

Surprisingly, breakfast wasn't as awkward as I thought it would be. Dad and Scott played cards again. Mom was raving about Scott's breakfast. Aunt Kate just kept telling me that Scott was quite the catch. Now it was a week from that day, and we were currently sitting in the living room, chatting about random topics. Scott had his arm around me before his phone rang and it was Melissa. 

"Allison, my mom wants to know if you'd like to come over for dinner." Scott then turns to my parents. "Mr and Mrs. Argent, would you three like to come as well?"

My dad nods and says "We'd really like that, thank you Scott."

/

We walked to the front door and Melissa pulled me into a tight hug. Scott goes to get a hug and Melissa kisses his cheek quickly before gently pushing him to the side. Scott feigned a hurt expression which I quickly fixed by kissing him. Mom and Melissa went into the kitchen while dad and Kate sat in the living room. 

"So Allison, what's your favorite fruit," Melissa asked. 

I smile and say "Strawberries."

"Do you like milk chocolate?" I nod and she puts a tray of chocolate covered strawberries on the table in front of me. "Good. Enjoy."

I laugh and say "You're too sweet Melissa. Thank you."

"Of course." Melissa turns to Scott. "Oh, I have a treat for you as well." She hands Scott a plate with foil around it. "Lydia dropped these off for you this morning. She made for Stiles and ended up having extra so she thought you'd like them."

Scott unwraps it to show chocolate chip cookies. "She's awesome." Scott bites into one and moans. "I'm gonna send her a thank you text."

Kate was watching me and I knew by her worried look that I wasn't hiding my anger very well. Melissa passes Scott his phone and he starts typing. Scott puts his phone back down and kisses my cheek as he wraps his arms around me again. Melissa came out with a plate of brownies. Lydia can bake, so what? So can I. Scott loves me and I don't care how good her cookies taste, she's not gonna get Scott back. I bite into the brownie and my eyes widened slightly. 

"Melissa, these are amazing. The best brownie I've ever had." It had the perfect mixture of fudge. "You didn't have to go through all this trouble just for me though."

Melissa waves off my comment. "Don't be ridiculous dear. It'd be no trouble at all for you. To ease your mind though, I didn't make the brownies. Lydia did. She knows its always been a weakness of mine. That girl certainly knows her way around the kitchen."

I put the brownie down and snuggle closer to Scott. "I don't wanna ruin my appetite. Can't have too many sweets before dinner."

Scott kisses the side of my head and says "You're so cute."

Kate then says "How about a tour of the house?"

"Of course." Melissa takes my mother's hand and they start touring the house.

Scott and I stayed on the couch. He was stroking my arm and I was smiling at him. 

"I love you," he said before kissing me sweetly. "I love you so much."

"I love you too." He grabs another cookie and I take it from him. "I think you've had enough of Lydia's treats tonight."

Scott then says "You're not still worried about Lydia and me, are you? Because there's nothing but friendship there Allison. I swear."

"I know. I just, I just can't help but get jealous sometimes."

"I'll tell you what, I won't eat anymore cookies or brownies and there will be no more mentioning Lydia for the rest of the night. It's just you and me."

"Plus your mom, my parents, and my aunt." 

He laughed and I kiss his cheek before curling into his side. A few minutes later, Melissa came back down with my family in tow and we sat at the table ready for dinner. The doorbell rang and Melissa stood up slowly. 

"Scott," she shouted. "Put another two places at the table. We've got guests."

Scott did as told and says "Who's joining us mom?"

Lydia walks in with Natalie, her mom, walking beside her. "Scott, you're looking more and more grownup with each day that passes. Come and give me a hug."

Scott laughs and says "Natalie, you look lovely." He hugs her quickly and Lydia hugs him next, smiling at me from over his shoulder before giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Hey Lyds."

Melissa laughs and says "Lydia, you can take the seat beside Scott and Natalie, you can sit next to me. Does that sound ok?"

Natalie nods and says "Oh Melissa, you seem sweeter each time we meet up. It's been too long since our last dinner together. When was it last?"

"I believe when Scott and Lydia won Homecoming King and Queen. Lydia looked so beautiful. That white dress was so elegant yet simple. Lydia looked like a radiant angel." 

I was drinking my water and Scott was holding my other hand underneath the table. Kate, mom, and dad were all watching me. Mom seemed ready to pounce at Natalie for intruding on our dinner. She would have every right to. I was fighting the desire to do the same to Lydia. She shows up unannounced to the dinner that I just so happen to be invited to? Who the hell does she think she is?

"Scott looked especially handsome that night," Natalie said. "The tie to match Lydia's dress and his dashing suit." 

Lydia laughs and says "Erica called us the "color coordinated duo" for the entire night." She rests her hand on his arm and smiles. "Remember how I ended up having punch spilt on my dress and you took off your suit jacket and let me wear it the rest of the night because I was so embarrassed about the stain?"

Melissa smiles and says "That's the young man I raised."

Natalie takes a bite of her food and frowns when Scott kisses my cheek. "Oh dear, Lydia, you never told me that Scott cheated on you with Allison. Oh dear, I thought you had better taste in friends than that."

"Excuse me," I say. 

"You're excused dear," Natalie says. "Personally I blame the parenting you've experienced. You must have been raised in an environment where if you want something that you must have it. I raised my Lydia to be the same, but I have taught her that you can't take what someone else already has. Maybe your parents should have taught you that."

Scott then says "Natalie, all due respect, but Allison isn't at fault in this. She wanted to put an end to us from the beginning but I continued to pursue her even though I was still in a relationship with Lydia. If anyone is at fault, it's me. I knew what I was doing was wrong but I did it anyway."

Mom then says "How dare you insult our way of raising our daughter?"

"Let's all settle down," Melissa says. "It's all in the past. Our children are happy and friends. There are no further secrets. Allison and Scott apologized to Lydia and she's forgiven them. All is well."

Lydia then says "Well, not all secrets, isn't that right Allison?"

"What's that supposed to mean," I said leaning forward to look passed Scott in order to meet her eyes. "I don't have any secrets."

"Oh, so you told Scott about your little addiction?"

Natalie then points to me. "Your daughter is a boyfriend stealer and an addict. You two take parents of the year award."

Scott turns to me and says "Allison, what's she talking about?"

Lydia takes his hand and says "Oh Scott, I'm sorry you had to find out this way, but it's clear to me that Allison was never going to tell you." She starts gently stroking his hand with her thumb. "Allison fell prey to the pressures of high school and trying to maintain a perfect GPA so she used caffeine pills to stay awake and study. She got hooked on them and needed to go to counseling for her little addiction."

"That's not a secret," I said. I then turn to Scott who has a hurt look on his face. "And I was going to tell you. It's just, it's not exactly a conversation to have before or after making out."

Scott stands slowly and says "If you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go get some fresh air."

"I'll come with you," I said while I stood. 

Scott shakes his head and kisses my cheek quickly. "I just wanna be alone for now."

He walks out of the room and I slump back into the chair. Lydia was standing and takes Scott's seat. 

"You should've told him sooner."

I turn to her with a glare. "You had no right to tell him. I can't believe you would go so low."

"Scott's very serious about health, so is Melissa. I felt they had the right to know about your history."

I noticed that our parents had travelled to the living room to shout at each other. Melissa had left with a sad look directed at me. 

"What did I ever do to make you want to destroy my relationship with Scott? You gave us your bless. You set us up together. Why are you trying to break us up? I thought you were happy with Stiles?"

Lydia then says "I am! I've never been so happy before! You don't understand what's been going on in our relationship. Stiles is my perfect guy and I'm so happy to have him, but his dad, he can't stop comparing me to you. All because you hung out with Stiles while Scott and I had gotten back together. All I hear is how smart you are and how wonderful a person you are. I wanted to upstage you with Melissa because I need at least one parent to like me better. You just wow everyone you meet. Mr. Stilinski has called me Allison five times just this week! You took Scott and now you're taking Melissa from me. It's not fair!"

I stand and say "No, what's not fair is that my best friend is trying to destroy my reputation so that my boyfriend's mother will like her more than me. That's not fair. It's not fair that I haven't done anything to sabotage you. Did you ever think of telling Stiles how you feel so he can talk to his dad or did you immediately jump to the conclusion of having to destroy me?" I then gesture to the door. "And what the hell is up with you touching Scott and making him chocolate chip cookies?!"

"He and I have history Allison. I know what he likes and what he doesn't. I figured if I couldn't make Melissa like me more than you, I could at least make Scott reconsider his choice."

"Well congrats. He didn't want me going with him."

Lydia sighs and says "I'm sorry. I took it way too far. You should've been the one to tell him when you were ready to. I'm sorry."

I shake my head and stand up. "I don't want to hear it Lydia." I walk into the living room to see Melissa between my mom and Natalie, keeping them a good distance from each other. "Melissa, thank you for having me, but I'd like to go home now."

Mom nods and says "Of course sweetheart."

Melissa walks in front of me and says "Allison, I'm not mad about your little secret. I'd like to have you over for dinner again soon." She hugs me and smiles brightly at me when she pulls away. "You're welcome over anytime."

"I'm sorry Melissa."

"Don't be. Allison, it's not that big of a deal. You got the help you needed and you're better, that's all that matters. I'm sorry for everything that happened. Get home safely." She then turns to my parents. "I hope you three will join us for dinner another time."

Dad nods and says "We'd be happy to."

/

I was sitting on my bed and looking at my phone. I had three messages from Lydia. 

_To Allison_

_From Lydia_

_I'm really sorry Allison. I was wrong. Please forgive me._

_To Allison_

_From Lydia_

_Allison, please talk to me. I'm so sorry about my actions. You have every right to be mad at me._

_To Allison_

_From Lydia_

_Please forgive me. Let me make it up to you with a shopping spree. Just talk to me, please. I'm sorry. Please forgive me. You're my best friend and I don't want to lose you._

There were no messages or calls from Scott though. He hates me. I should've told him sooner. A knock on my bedroom window snapped me out of my thoughts. Scott was outside my window, sitting on my roof. I open my window and he climbs through. 

"I'm sorry for being so rude when you asked to come with me. I just wanted to be on my own for a while. I was just shocked, that's all."

I look down at my hands and say "If you want to break up because of it, I totally understand."

He lifts my chin gently so I was looking into his soft brown eyes. "Are you kidding? I love you. I'm not breaking up with you." He kisses me and says "You can't get rid of me that easily."

I hug him tightly and rest my head on his shoulder. "Can you stay?"

"Yeah, of course."

We laid down and I rested on my side, Scott spooning me from behind and my head underneath his chin. I wish I could freeze time and  just stay like this forever. That's not possible though and my phone buzzed. 

_To Allison_

_From Lydia_

_Allison, I don't know how to make you forgive me, but I'm not gonna give up till you do. I'll back off, I promise. Just forgive me."_


	18. All Friends Argue; So Do Families

Scott met me on the front steps of the school and I was greeted with a quick kiss. 

"Hey," I said with a soft smile. "How was your weekend with your dad?"

Scott wraps his arms around my waist and sighs. "It was...interesting...to say the least."

"Wanna talk about it?"

He shakes his head and says "I'm, I'm just not in the mood to talk about him yet."

"Alright, well how about I take your mind off it?" I wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him gently. I pull away a few seconds later. He had a goofy smile on his face and his eyes were closed. "Better?"

Scott opens his eyes slowly and nods. "Absolutely. I love you."

"I love you too. Ready for class?"

"Can't we skip for the day? You and I can head to the woods and have a picnic by the cliff. We can watch the town and I can hold you in my arms."

"Tempting, but I can't. My parents would kill me if they found out and they like you so I don't want to do anything that would change that. How about you and I spend this weekend together? It can be the two of us and I'll make pancakes."

Scott kisses my cheek and says "If you're trying to get me to agree, you had me at "this weekend" so you don't have to try and convince me. I don't need an excuse to spend time with you. I love every second with you."

I laugh and he gets a confused look. "You sound like you came out of a chick flick."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"Not at all."

Stiles jogged over and says "Hey you two. Oh Scott, Lydia's waiting for you in the library."

Scott nods and kisses me quickly. "I'll see you at lunch." He jogs away into the school.

Stiles then says "So, you and Lydia still aren't talking?"

"Stiles, don't make me mad at you."

He puts his hands up in surrender and says "You should've seen Lydia this weekend. She was completing freaking out about Scott." He looks at the school and frowns. "How do you, how do you not get jealous?"

I shake my head and say "Who said I'm not? Lydia and him have history but I love Scott and he loves me so I trust him when he says they're just friends. You get jealous often?"

Stiles sits on the front steps and I sit beside him. "I try not to think about it. I mean, she's dating me even though she could've had any other guy in town so she must care about me as much as she says she does. It's just, this weekend, every time I stopped by her house, she was on the phone with Scott. She was just talking about his dad with him. She said something about wanting every detail about his weekend after he gets back. She'd hang up as soon as she saw me or her mom walk into the room. It was almost like it was this whole secret about their talks. When I asked about it, she just said that it was complicated." 

"Scott...didn't want to talk about his weekend." 

Stiles then says "Parents, touchy subject for most people. How did meeting Scott's mom go?"

"She loves me. She's amazing. She's such a great person and she's so sweet. How did meeting Lydia's parents go?" 

"Her mother doesn't seem to like me that much. She kept mentioning Scott, but Lydia told her to stop." He gets a slight grin. "It was totally sexy."

I laugh and shove him gently. I look down at my vibrating phone. 

_To Allison_

_From Scott_

_Sorry I had to run off. Just really needed to talk to Lydia. Meet me on the lacrosse field during lunch. Love you._

Stiles smiles and says "Scott?"

"Yeah. He wants me on the lacrosse field during lunch."

Lydia jogs over and says "Hey cutie," Stiles standing and kissing her quickly. She smiles and sees me. "Allison, hey."

"I better get to class." I smile and say "Bye Stiles."

/

Lydia tried talking to me in our classes and even outside of the classes we didn't share. She kept apologizing but I would just blow her off. I know its probably wrong of me to do that, but how can I forgive her after everything she did? How could she do all those things to me if I'm her friend? 

"Allison, will you please just talk to me?" Lydia asked form behind me as I was packing for my next few classes. "Come on, talk to me."

I slammed my locker closed as I faced her. "Don't you get it?! I don't want to talk to you. You invaded my dinner with Melissa and Scott. You blabbed to my boyfriend about an old problem of mine when I wanted to be the one to tell him. You treated that past few weeks like we were enemies and to be honest, it didn't seem like we were ever friends. You can't tell me its ok to date Scott and then change your mind all of a sudden. I've never done anything to hurt your relationship with Stiles. When he talks about you, I never tell him your secrets and I definitely never say anything to insult you. I don't want a friend if we're just gonna be fighting all the time."

"Allison, I'm sorry. It's not gonna happen again. Just, give me a second chance. I gave you one. Return the favor. If I blow it, you don't ever have to talk to me again." Lydia had tears in her eyes. "Please Allison? At least think about it?"

I look down at my hands with a quick nod and say "I've gotta go." I start to walk away but turn to Lydia quickly. "I'll consider it."

Lydia smiles and says "You won't regret this. I swear."

"I'm considering it. I haven't given you a second chance." I turn away and start walking away.

/

I jog onto the lacrosse field and see Scott stand in the middle of the field with a picnic basket and red blanket on the floor. 

"Hey," he said. "I was starting to think that you stood me up."

"No, of course not. I just had a run in with Lydia at my locker. I'm sorry I took so long. I didn't mean to make you wait so long."

He shrugs and says "You're worth it."

I kiss him before sitting down across from him on the blanket.

"So, what did you and Lydia talk about?"

I stop eating and look at him. "She wants a second chance."

"I think you should give it to her."

"She's been sabotaging our relationship. Our friendship doesn't even feel like a friendship. It's more like a war zone. First it was about you and now it's about your mother."

Scott looks down at his food and says "You should really give her a second chance. Lydia cares about you. She just has a hard time embracing change so she latches onto familiar things. My mom and I are really familiar. When Lydia's parents were going through their divorce in eighth grade, she practically lived with us. We've always been her landing zone. She's just scared about not impressing Mr. Stilinski like you did so she's clinging to the fact that my mom already adores her and thinks of her as family." Scott looks up and smiles at me. "My mom loves you and Lydia notices that. I mean, my mom really loves you. Lydia's scared you're gonna take her safe place away. She doesn't understand that you're not trying to take her place in the picture. You're just joining the family. All friends fights. Sometimes it's over nonsense and sometimes it's something serious. You two shouldn't end your friendship over something as futile as which one of you is liked more."

I shift closer to him and say "I'll give her a second chance but not right away, I kinda wanna punish her for her actions."

He nods and says "That's fair." He leans toward me and says "You know what else would be fair?"

"No, what?"

"Me giving you my spare t-shirt and sweatshirt."

"Why?" I look down at my white tank top and grey sweater. "Are you trying to say that my current shirt and sweater look terrible?"

"Oh not at all." He kisses my cheek and says "It's just I don't think you'll want to wear them once their wet."

"Wet? What are you talking about? There's not a cloud in the sky and the sun is shining."

"3...2...1," Scott counted down on his fingers and the sprinklers came to life. Drenching the both of us and causing me to laugh as Scott's hair plastered to his forehead as a huge smile forms as well. "Told you."

I kissed him. I had to. His arms wrapped around my waist as he kissed back. 

"I love you," I said when I pulled away. I stroke his cheek and smile widely.

Scott intertwines our hands and says "I love you too. I love you too much to put into words." He looks down at his phone and sighs. "Come on. I've gotta get you to class." The sprinklers shut down and he stood slowly.

"I have Study period right now," I said as I grabbed his hand. "I wouldn't mind missing it."

Scott kneels down and kisses me but shakes his head. "Nope, we'll just hangout in the library. I'll just watch you study."

"That sounds boring."

"Nothing with you is boring."

"Chick flick."

He laughs and pulls me to my feet. He gave me his white t-shirt and his lacrosse hoodie. He was literally just watching me when we reached the library. 

"You're distracting me," I said not even looking up from my book.

"I'm not saying anything."

"You're still distracting me."

Scott sighs and says "Alright. I'll, wonder the library for the remaining time. I'll see you in class." 

I nod and he kisses my cheek quickly. After finishing the reading assignment for tonight, I went looking for Scott between the stacks. 

"You ok," Lydia asked from the one behind me. 

Scott's voice then says "No. This weekend was truly terrible."

"I'm sorry. I should've gone with you."

"No, you had a great time with Stiles this weekend. It wouldn't have felt right to take you away from that. He makes you so happy."

"Yeah, he does. You and Allison are perfect for each other. You and I were only made to be best friends." She sucks in a deep breath. "Allison is still mad at me."

Scott says "She has every right to be Lydia. Why didn't you just talk to her about how you were feeling? Why didn't you come to me?"

"It was stupid. I realized that too late. Do you think Allison will ever forgive me?"

"I think she might. If she does, don't mess it up."

"Easier said than done."

I look between the shelves and see Scott leaning on the opposite stack. Lydia to my right. 

"Have you told Allison?"

Scott looks down at his hands and says "I don't know how to. I don't want her to hate me."

"She won't hate you."

"You're still the only person that knows."

Lydia goes next to him and puts her hand on his shoulder. "You know, just because he's your dad doesn't mean you're anything like him."

"Thanks Lyds. I really needed to hear that." Scott looks at his phone. "I'm gonna go back to Allison. I'm sorry I troubled you with my problems."

"What's the point of having friends if you can't confide in them?" Lydia then gestures behind her. "I'm going to meet Stiles. Allison won't hate you Scott, but you have to tell her when you're ready."

"I will. You have to tell Stiles how you feel about his dad comparing you with Allison. You've never been afraid to speak your mind, don't start now."

I went back to the table and Scott comes back a few seconds later. 

"Hey," he said with a sweet smile. "Can I walk you to our next class?"

I nod and he gently takes my hand. He was keeping something from me? Why? Doesn't he trust me?

"Allison," he said softly. "Do you think you could maybe come over tonight? My mom has the night shift so she'll leave at seven and I don't wanna be alone after the terrible weekend I had."

"I'll be there at seven."

"Good. I need to tell you something really important but I'd rather we be alone when I tell you. Do you mind waiting till tonight?"

"Not at all. Whenever you're ready."

He kisses me and says "You're the best. I'm so lucky to have you." He looks down at his hands. "I hope you don't mind, but I ran into Lydia in the library and we spoke for a bit. All we did was talk, I swear."

"Scott, it's fine. I trust you."

/

At six-fifty, I pulled up in the McCall driveway. A black SVU parked in front as well as Lydia's car. I heard glass break inside the house and used the spare key to get inside. Scott was on the floor wrestling with an older guy. Melissa and Lydia trying to get the man off Scott. Scott pinned him and started punching him, but stopped when the guy's nose started to bleed. 

"Scott," I said softly. He turned and I saw that his lip was busted and that a bruise was already forming on the side of his jaw. "You're hurt. Come on."

Police sirens sounded and Sheriff Stilinski came in and cuffed the guy. Melissa left after hugging Scott for ten minutes and Lydia was gathering her car keys after the Sheriff left. 

"Call if you need anything," she said. 

Scott nods and I grab Lydia's wrist. "Don't make me regret giving you a second chance."

Lydia smiles and launches into a hug. "Thank you so much Allison. You won't regret it. I'm gonna be the best best friend in the history of best best friends."

She leaves and Scott wouldn't look me in the eyes. I ducked my head so that I'd finally make eye contact with him but he looked away.

"Scott, come on, look at me."

He reluctantly does and I pull him into a tight hug.

"I'm sorry you had to see me like that."

I maneuver him to the couch so we were sitting side by side and grab a wet napkin to clean the blood from his lip.

"Who was that guy?"

"That would be my dad." I felt myself freeze in shock. "He's got an alcohol and drug addiction."

I shake my head in disbelief. "You don't seem surprised that he hit you."

"He used to hit me when I was younger, before my mom found out that he was secretly beating the life out of me. He's an angry drunk." He gingerly lifts his hand to the small scar under his eye. "He punched me and his class ring cut me deep enough that it left this scar. I was eight."

I cup his cheek in my hand and stroke it gently, careful not to put pressure on his bruised jaw. "That's why Lydia was so secretive about your phone conversations when Stiles or her mom walked into the room?"

"Yeah. She found out when we were twelve. She stopped by and saw him just kicking me repeatedly. She ran to the hospital and got my mom and called the police. My mom filed for divorce that night. He smashed her head through the door window." Scott looks down at his hands. "I didn't know how to tell you because I didn't want you to hate me."

"Why would I hate you?"

"Because I have his DNA. Because you'd think that I'd hurt you."

"Scott, I'd never hate you and I know you'd never hurt me. Plus, I can take care of myself."

Scott rests his forehead against mine and says "I love you so much. I don't deserve you. You could do so much better than me. You could find the perfect guy."

"I already have Scott. You're my perfect guy." I kiss him but pull away when he winces in pain. "Sorry."

He shakes his head and leans back in for a kiss. "Kissing you makes the pain worth it." 

I kiss him quickly before taking his hand and leading him to his room. He took off his shirt and jeans so he was in his blue boxers with puppies on them and on any other night, I'd have told him how adorable those boxers made him look, but instead I just put on his shirt and laid down beside him on the bed. Both of us on our sides and looking at each other.

"I love you," I said as I ran my hand through his hair. 

"I love you too. I'm sorry you had to see all that."

"I'm sorry you had to live it."

He wraps an arm around me and says "I'm just gonna pretend that it didn't happen." He kisses the tip of my nose and smiles. "I had the best day without him around."

"Oh really," I asked with a smile. "How come?"

"Because I spent it with the girl I love."

I cuddled into his arms and after a few minutes, I felt his breathing even out. He was finally asleep and I soon followed.


	19. Hardships Strengthen Bonds

I was woken up by the shifting of the bed. I opened my eyes and found Scott standing at the side of the bed.

"Good morning," I said sleepily with a smile.

Scott leans down and presses a gentle kiss to my forehead. "Good morning beautiful." He sits on the side of the bed so he was looking down at me. "How did you sleep?"

"I slept great. What time is it?"

"7:20. I figured you'd like to sleep a little longer before school."

I grab his hands and tug gently. "Come lay down."

"You'll never go to school if I do. I'll fall asleep and you'll be trapped in my arms."

I sit up so that we were eye level and stretch. "Fine. Let's get ready for school."

"I'm not going." He gestures to his jaw. "My mom doesn't want people blowing the story out of proportion. The police are already handling everything. We're working on a restraining order."

I wrap my arms around his shoulders. "Good. I don't want him anywhere near you."

"I'm ok. I'll be ok. You don't have to worry." He quickly kisses my cheek. "I love you. Which is why I can't let you be late to school."

I groan and say "I don't wanna go. It'll be terrible if you're not there."

He chuckles and says "You'll be fine. You'll have Stiles and Lydia." He glances at the clock and turns to me with a soft smile. "You get ready while I make you pancakes."

"Fine, but I'm not gonna enjoy school."

"I'm not making you go alone. Everyone at school loves you. Just don't fall for another guy while I'm gone."

I smirk and shrug. "I don't know. There are a lot of cute guys and I am irresistible."

Scott shakes his head and says "Maybe I should let you stay here all day."

I laugh and kiss the tip of his nose quickly. "You're the best boyfriend ever."

"You make it easy." He stands slowly and kisses my hand. "I can't let you miss school. I'll be back as soon as this bruise goes away."

"Good. Does it hurt?" I gently glide my hand across it which causes him to wince. "I'll take that as a yes. You should ice it."

"I think a kiss would help too." He looked so cute that I couldn't help but place a gentle kiss on his bruise. He winces but smiles. "I'm already feeling better."

I stand and he leaves to go make breakfast. I joined him downstairs and argued with him when he said he wasn't hungry. He ate some of my pancakes before I left though so I was happy. 

When I got to school, I saw Lydia waiting at my locker. Seeing her there made me happy. It was nice not fighting with her anymore. I missed talking to her and hanging out with her. I gave her a quick hug before starting to pack for the day. 

"I figured you'd be with Scott last night so I told your parents you were spending the night there with me and Melissa."

"Thanks. I really appreciate it."

"I'm just trying to be a good best friend." She slowly leans against the locker beside mine. "How's he doing?"

She sounded so weak and scared. I'd never heard Lydia sound so worried. Her tone reminded me that she and Scott didn't just date, they were much more than that. They were best friends. They shared secrets and memories. They leaned on each other in their darkest times. They were each other's strength. She was nervously playing with the sleeves of Stiles' sweater. Lydia Martin is confident, but looking at her now you would think she was the shyest person to ever live. 

"He seems ok. His jaw hurts but he's not acting differently."

Confident Lydia didn't come back like I thought she would. She still seemed uneasy. "Is he eating? Did he change into dark or light colors? Did he seem like he planned on leaving the house?"

I shake my head. "He seemed like he wasn't leaving. He didn't change. It took some convincing but he ate some pancakes.

Lydia sighs in relief and says "You're good for him. I never could get him to eat after his dad hit him."

"You spent a lot of time together after his father hit him?"

"Only when I figured out that he was abusing Scott. I thought it was verbally but then I saw him kicking him. I called the cops and rushed to the hospital. He had two broken ribs and bruises all along his sides. He looked so weak and I remember laughing because he was trying to comfort me while he was beaten and bruised. He never really cared about taking care of himself. Only about other people."

I finally realized why Lydia was so upset about Melissa and Scott liking me. Scott said that they were her safe place, but she was also theirs. She was their support system just like they were to her. 

"You could stop by after school. I'm going straight home after school but I'll be there around eight. You can keep him company till then."

Lydia smiles slightly and says "I'll pick you up and we can go together. I'd want to grab some food for the three of us."

"Sounds good. I'm gonna go get his books at the end of the day. That way he won't fall far behind in class."

"I can get it," she said. "Our lockers are close and I know his combination."

I nod and we walk to class. We laughed and everything that has happened in the last few weeks just seemed to disappear. We had never been closer. We laughed together with the girls and I texted Scott in the classes that I finished all my work in. He'd quickly reply and tell me how he missed me. I'd of course reply that I missed him too. 

"Hey Allison," Matt said as he came up behind me. "I wanted to apologize for my actions at that party. I was drunk and out of my mind. Do you think you could forgive me?"

I shake my head. "Can you just stay away fro me?" I go to walk past him but he grabs my arm. I spun around and pinned him to the lockers, face first. I had his arm pinned behind his back keeping him pressed against the cold metal. "Don't touch me. I want you to leave me alone."

"Ms. Argent!" I turned to see Ms. Blake. "You have detention after school."

Danny steps forward and says "Ms. Blake, Matt had grabbed her. She was just defending herself."

Ms. Blake then says "In that case, I'll let you off with a warning because violence is unacceptable. You, young man, on the other hand have two complaints from other students so I will see you in detention."

Matt walks away with a glare aimed at me. Danny walks over and rests his hand on my shoulder gently. 

"He gives you anymore trouble, the lacrosse teams got your back. He's put the moves on a lot of the team's girlfriends. It's really ticking us off. You're the captain's girl, you're absolutely off limits."

Lydia jogs over. "I heard what happened. Are you ok? Where is that jerk?"

"He just left," Danny answered with a chuckle. "Allison pinned him face first into the lockers. It was super sexy and I'm gay so that means a lot coming from me."

I laugh and hug him quickly. "I'm flattered."

/

"Scott," I called when we entered his house. Lydia was behind me with his books while I carried the pizza box. "You up?"

There was a crash of glass from upstairs. Lydia dropped the books onto the couch before racing up the stairs. I tossed the box onto the table before rushing after her. She turned the knob but the door wouldn't open. Fighting could be heard from within the room.

"Step back," I said. 

Lydia looked confused but did it anyway. I kicked the door and it swung open. Scott's dad had him pinned to the floor with both his hands around his neck. Lydia picked up the baseball bat by the door and hit the back of his head. He collapsed to the ground and Scott was coughing violently. I helped him sit up and noticed that there was a dent in the floor where his head had been. 

"Scott?"

"I'm fine. Don't worry. I'm fine. I just feel a little dizzy."

Lydia says "You might have a concussion. I called the police." She kneels beside me and says "Maybe we should take him to the hospital. Just in case."

"I'm fine. You two are worrying too much. I just need to sleep it off."

"This is the second time in a row Scott. He could've killed you just now if Allison and I hadn't of come when we had. This is serious and you can't just play it off like its no big deal."

Scott sighs and says "Allison?"

"Lydia's right Scott." He frowns and shakes his head. "It'd make me feel better if you got checked by a doctor." He looks into my eyes and sighs before nodding. "Good." 

Lydia and I help him stand up and we catch him when he stumbles slightly. 

"I'm fine. I'm fine. Just felt off balanced for a second there."

Lydia shakes her head and says "I'll start the car. Think you can handle helping him?"

"Yeah, I've got him. We should probably wait till the police come pick up your dad."

"Raffaele," Lydia says. "Scott doesn't call him dad. He calls him Raffaele."

Scott chuckles and says "Dad didn't sound like the right thing to call him after he started hitting me."

/

Lydia and I were sitting in the waiting room of the hospital while Melissa and the doctor were in with Scott. 

"What do you think the doctor's are saying," I asked. 

Lydia shrugs and says "I hope he's saying that Scott's fine." She turns to me and smiles slightly. "You kicking his door in was pretty badass."

"You were pretty dangerous yourself with that bat."

"Stiles uses a baseball bat a lot. I went over to his house to surprise him and he had a baseball bat in his hands," Lydia said with a giggle. 

Melissa steps out and we stand quickly. "He's gonna be fine. He'll have to rest for a little while because he has a minor concussion but other than that, he's perfectly fine. You girls got there just in time." She pulls us both into a tight hug. "Thank you so much."

Lydia pulls away first and gestures to the room. "Can we see him?"

"One at a time. The doctor doesn't want him to be hit with too many questions." She gestures behind her to the busy hospital. "I have to get back to my shift but I'm getting off early to keep an eye on him at home."

Lydia turns to me and when she goes to open her mouth, I put my hand up in a stop. 

"You go first," I said. "You have plans with Stiles and his dad tonight. You see him first so you can make it to Stiles' on time."

Lydia hugs me and says "Thanks Allison. I really appreciate it."

She went into the room and only stayed for five minutes. I know because it took all my strength not to just go in and see him. Screw the rule, I was worrying about him. Lydia came out though and hugged me and Melissa before leaving to go see Stiles. 

I walk in and Scott smiles as he reaches his arms out to me. I rest my head on his chest after laying down next to him on the hospital bed. 

"I told you that I was fine."

"A concussion is not fine."

"It's a minor one. It could've been worse." He shifts so that we were laying face to face. "You don't have to worry. I just gave my statement to the police. He's gonna be going away for quite some time."

I kiss him gently before resting my head on his chest. I laid there listening to his heartbeat and tracing random shapes on his chest. 

"How was school," he asked after a while of silence. 

"It was kinda fun. I missed you though."

"I missed you too. I'm sorry I ruined your day."

I sit up and look down at him. "You did not ruin my day. You made my day better. Raffaele ruined it."

"Let's have a picnic this weekend. You and me, on the cliff over looking the town, and the sun setting in the distance. What do you say?"

"How can I say no to that?"

"You can't so say yes already."

I smile and kiss him quickly. "I'd love to have a picnic with you."

"Great. Saturday at six. I'll pick you up."

"Sounds good."

Scott looks up at me hopefully and says "Can...can you stay over again?"

"Of course I will. Think your mom will mind?"

"Nah, she likes you. I'll just have to put on actual pants." He sighs and says "It's a sacrifice I'm willing to make."

"I love you. All the girls in school are right though, you're kinda like a puppy."

Scott laughs and says "Girls actually think I'm a puppy?"

"You don't do anything to prove them wrong."

"Do you think I'm like a puppy?"

"A little bit. I have to admit it's cute."

"Then I like being a puppy. Only if I'm your puppy though."

I laugh and kiss him before he can say anything else.

 


	20. Sweet Gifts and Bitter Surprises

I woke up beside Scott for the fifth time, just this week. When I looked at him, he was still asleep and the sun wasn't even close to rising. I felt too full of energy to even attempt going back to sleep. I decided to turn onto my side and just look at Scott. He was on his back, head dangling to his right so that it was facing me, and the blanket reaching just below his six pack. His mouth was slightly agape and his hair was a complete disaster, sticking out in different directions. Then again, my own probably looked somewhat similar to his if not worse. He looked so peaceful and when I looked to his jaw, the bruise was slowly fading. Thankfully his concussion was already healing. In the next moment, Scott turned onto his side and wrapped an arm around my waist. His face was partially buried in his pillow and a content smile appeared when he tugged me closer to him. 

"Good morning," he said when he opened his eyes five minutes later. 

I kiss him quickly and say "Good morning. How'd you sleep?"

"Great." He starts to run his fingers gently through my hair. "Your parents are so nice for letting you stay."

"Yeah, but they think I'm in the guest room and that your mom is here with us. As you can see, neither of those things are true."

"What they don't know won't kill them. I love you for staying these last couple of days. I just really needed to have you near me."

"I get it. I'd want you around too if I was in your situation. By the way, I love you too."

He kisses my forehead and says "You're the best thing to ever happen to me. I'm so lucky to have met you." He sits up and pulls me with him. He leans over to his bedside table and pulls out a small but long white box. He places it on my lap and smiles at me. "Open it."

"Scott, you didn't have to get me anything."

"I wanted to. I was gonna wait till tomorrow because it'd be our six month anniversary, but I can't wait any longer." He nudged the box closer to me. "Open it. Please."

I sigh in defeat under his puppy dog eyes. I open the box to reveal a silver chained necklace with an arrow charm dangling. It was beautiful and I didn't know what to say. 

"Scott, it's beautiful."

Scott smiles and says "You like it?"

"I love it. Thank you."

Scott then says "I saw the charm and I immediately thought of you. Silver chain because Argent is French for silver. An arrow because you did archery growing up and were nationally ranked. A heart with an 'S' to symbolize my heart."

I look at the necklace before looking back up at him. "I don't see a heart."

Scott pulls out the charm and hands it to me. "Now, you not only have my heart figuratively but also  literally."

"You are the sweetest. I'm so lucky to have you." I hold the necklace up after putting the heart on. "Will you put it on me?"

He nods and after putting the necklace on, I gripped it gently and turned to smile at Scott. Scott kisses me and leans his forehead against mine. Scott cups my cheek and tilts his head to get closer to me. I gripped the back of his neck and slowly lean back so that I was laying on the bed and he was hovering over me. 

"Scotty," Stiles shouted as he burst through the door. "Oh, sorry. Am I interrupting?"

I sigh and say "No, go ahead." We both sit up with a disappointed look.

"I'm sorry. I'm just worried about Lydia and you know her better than anyone. She got into a fight with her parents when her dad was over last night and no ones seen her since. I've tried her cell but it goes straight to voicemail." Stiles gets tears in his eyes. "If anything happened to her, I don't know what I'd do with myself."

Scott stands and throws on jeans and a red t-shirt that clung to his muscles perfectly. 

"She's gonna be fine Stiles. Do you know if she took her car?"

"She drove like a driver from Fast and the Furious. I spoke with my dad but none of his deputies have seen speeding and no accidents have been reported. Scott, I need to know that she's ok."

"You go to her house just in case she went back. Allison can check out the bowling alley and mall. In the mall, near the fountain, there's a door under the staircase that leads to the rooftop. There's a chance that she's there. I'll check her grandmothers cabin and the art studio."

Stiles then says "Why would Lydia go to the roof? To jump?!"

"God no. It's just, we used to sneak up there when we first started dating. We liked the view and it was the only place that we could actually just talk. Her parents and my dad were very clear that they wanted us to act as much like a couple as possible. We stopped going when we stopped having to pretend like we were a real couple, because we had become a real couple."

He was looking at me and I waved it off. "You and Lydia dated, I'm well aware that you two used to make out. I don't have to like it, but we're together now."

Scott smiles and says "I love you, so much. You're the absolute best."

Stiles then says "God you two are nauseating. Let's head out. The faster we find Lydia, the faster I can stop panicking about her being hurt."

"I promise Stiles, we'll find her," Scott said. "She'll be fine."

I grab my clothes and Scott nudges Stiles. He takes the hint and they both leave so I can change. When I leave the room, Stiles is gone and Scott is gathering his keys for his dirt bike. 

"Hey, Stiles went to get a head start. I didn't want to leave without seeing you again. I'm really sorry about the whole trip down memory lane."

"Scott, she's known you way longer than I have. You two have a lot of history."

Scott wraps his arms around my waist. "But we'll have a future. I promise."

"I like the sound of that." I bite my lower lip and smile. "After we find Lydia, do you think we could maybe resume where we left off when Stiles burst in?"

"Only if you really want to. We don't have to. I'm perfectly fine with just making out with you."

"So you wouldn't mind waiting longer before we...you know?"

Scott shakes his head and says "No. I just wanna be with you. I don't mind waiting. Whether it be a year, two years, or even till we get married."

"Who said we're gonna get married?"

"I know it in my gut. You and I are meant to be together. It's fate."

"There's no such thing."

Scott shakes his head and says "Well, then believe in us."

"I already do."

"Later tonight, I'll cook us dinner. Let's find Lydia first."

He kissed me before we parted ways. When I got to the bowling alley, I didn't find her. When I got to the mall, I followed Scott's directions to the roof and found her sitting in a chair by the ledge. 

"Lydia, we've been looking everywhere for you."

She turns to me with tears in her eyes. "I was hoping Scott forgot about this place. I just really wanted to be alone."

"Stiles is worried sick about you."

"I can't talk to Stiles about this."

I pull a chair over and sit beside her. "So talk to me about whatever is wrong."

"You don't understand either! Your parents are together. Stiles' parents were together. Mine are divorced! Mine fought over custody! Mine are once again, fighting for custody!"

"Lydia, I'm sorry."

"I don't want my dad to take me away from Beacon Hills. I have Stiles here and Scott and I have you. My first friend that's stood by me even though I gave you ever reason to quit being my friend. I can't leave you three. You're my sister, Scott's my best friend, and Stiles is the love of my life. Beacon Hills is my home and I don't want to leave it."

"How about I call Scott and Stiles and then the four of us can talk this over and we'll brainstorm ways to help you in anyway."

She nods and after a few minutes, the guys came to find Lydia with her head rested on my shoulder as she cried. 

"Lydia," Stiles says gently. "Babe, what's wrong?"

Lydia reaches out for him and he takes the chair that I had occupied before, pulling Lydia onto his lap as she cried into his shoulder. Scott stands beside my chair and I tug him forward and I take a seat on his lap. Not to "stake my claim" or "mark him" but just to be closer to him. 

"Lyds," he said gently after wrapping his arms around me and tilting his neck slightly so that I could nestle into his neck. "Your dad won't win custody."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Your mother is one of the best attorney's in the state. She won custody before and she'll do it again."

Stiles nods and says "That woman will fight tooth and nail for you. Worse case, you move in with me."

I laugh and say "Or more realistically, with me."

"You'd really let me stay with you?"

"Of course. We're practically sisters."

Lydia stands and hugs me tightly, collapsing on me in tears making her fall onto Scott's other leg so that our legs were intertwined. Lydia was crying into my shoulder and Stiles moves to stand behind the chair. 

"Lyds," I say gently once her sobs have subsided. "Maybe you should stay at my house tonight."

She nods against my shoulder and says "I love you Allison."

"I love you too Lydia."

Stiles then says "I love you Lydia."

Lydia turns and smiles at him even though her head is still on my shoulder. "I love you too Stilinski. More than anything in the world."

"Even Prada and your Gucci bag?"

"You're up there with them."

Stiles opens his arms and Lydia stands, walking into a tight hug from Stiles. Scott kisses my hand and I kiss his forehead. 

"Lets go to my house and we'll get a pizza for lunch," he said. 

Stiles nods and says "Sounds good."

"I'd like that," Lydia said.

When we got to the house, we started eating the pizza and we were having a great time. I was leaning back into Scott's chest and on the opposite couch from Stiles and Lydia who were in a similar position, except that Lydia had her feet rested on Stiles' knees. 

"You three are the best. You guys are my family. No matter what the court says."

Lydia's phone rings and says "It's my mom." 

She leaves the room and Stiles goes to the kitchen to get another soda. I turn so that I was looking at Scott from over my shoulder. 

"You're such a good guy." I smile and shrug. "But I already knew that."

Scott kisses my shoulder and says "I'm just trying to be a good friend to Lydia. We've gone through a lot together." He shifts so that he could get a better look at me. "I really appreciate you not being mad about me talking about my history with Lydia and for offering to let her stay with you. Did you mean it?"

"Yeah. I've always wanted a sister and sisters fight and get jealous so she's my sister." I lean in to kiss him but stop a few inches away from his lips. "But, if she tries to split us up again, she's dead to me."

He laughs and says "She won't. I've never seen her so happy. Stiles is perfect for her and it'd take a lot for me to leave you."

"What's a lot?"

He goes to answer but Lydia walks in and seemed as pale as a ghost. I rose from my position, gripping her upper arms gently. 

"Lyds, what's wrong?"

"That was my mother. The courts are reopening the case. A social worker wants me to stay at a hotel while this gets settled."

"No, absolutely not. You stay with me. I'm sure my parents won't mind. When do you have to be out of the house by?"

"Tonight."

"That's fine. Let's head over to your place and I'll help you gather some of your things. We'll move your stuff into my room and we'll be fine. Come on."

"Ok. I'll just go say by to Stiles." She goes into the kitchen. 

I turn to Scott and frown. "I'm sorry. I can't stay tonight. Lydia needs me. Rain check on our dinner?"

He nods and says "Absolutely, it's fine. You're a great friend. I'll be back in school soon." He kisses me and smiles. "I'll miss seeing your face when I wake up."

"I know, me too. I'll see you in school."

Lydia walks out of the kitchen with Stiles. "Ready?"

I nod. "Yeah. Bye Stiles."

"Bye Allison, thanks for today." He then turns to Scott. "My dads working the night shift. Mind if I hang here?"

"Nah, it's fine. We'll talk lacrosse."

Lydia and I leave and after packing up half of her wardrobe and her laptop, we head to my house. She takes the first floor guest room which was under my bedroom. My phone buzzed. 

 _To Allison_  
_From_   _Scott_    
_Hey beautiful, just wanted to wish you sweet dreams. Love you. Wish I had my arms around you. Miss you already._

 _To Scott_  
_From Allison_  
_Love you too. See you soon. Sweet dreams._

 _To Allison_  
_From Scott_  
_They will be if you're in them._


	21. What Was It Like?

Lydia's parents consented to her staying with me till the custody battle was settled and my parents didn't mind having her around after she apologized for her mother's comments. We were currently sitting in my room and doing homework.

"Thanks for letting me stay. It really means a lot."

"It's nothing Lydia. We're practically sisters."

"What was it like moving around so much?"

"Lonely. I never really stayed in one place. Never got to make friends because I'd just end up leaving them behind in a couple of months. I mixed up teachers names so many times that at one point I gave up calling their names and just asked them questions. Towards the end, I just stopped reaching out to people. Staying alone made it easier to leave. Don't get me wrong, I was still invited to parties and asked out, but I turned down all the dates and went to at least one party at each school." I shrugged. "I decided that I wouldn't date till college because the moving wasn't good for relationships. Then I came here, I made friends, I got a boyfriend, and I practically have a second family. What's it like growing up in one place for your whole life?"

Lydia smiles and says "It seems boring, but I'm lucky. Everyone knows everyone here. Scott and I-," but she stops and gets a worried look. 

"Lydia, you can talk about your past with Scott. It'll be nice to hear. I'll get to know what he was like when he was little."

Lydia smiles and says "Scott and I had started walking and it was my mom that had brought us to the park. The town was talking about Scott secretly being my dad and Melissa's son. That's why Melissa and Raffaele argue all the time." She gestures to the walls. "The walls may have ears to hear our secrets, but this town has their own version of them."

"Come on, tell me about Beacon Hills. I want to know as much as I can about this town."

"Well, Scott will be in a lot of these stories and I think I might actually have some pictures of us when we were small." She moves closer to me and smiles. "The way Melissa and my parents say it, Scott and I meet when we were two. I was wandering the small park and I was in the sandbox when a girl shoved me. Scott helped me up and we've been friends ever since. He's always been such a sweet guy and he never let popularity rob him of that. He's always lent a helping hand to anyone who needs it."

"What's your favorite memory of him?"

Lydia looks down at her hands and says "When I was twelve, my parents were in the process of their divorce and they forgot my birthday. Scott watched the Notebook with me four times and stayed the night so that I wasn't alone. My parents didn't remember for another two months. Scott was the only person that stood by me. He's always stood by me. You have a great boyfriend."

"Yeah, I do. I just wish it wouldn't have gone the way it did. I still feel terrible for hurting you."

"It's ok. Scott and I have always been friends and we both knew that we wouldn't last as a couple forever. Our parents were the ones pushing us to date. That wasn't our first fight. We'd never fight before we started dating. We'd disagree but never to the point where we'd stop talking. That changed when we started dating. Little things sparked big arguments." She laughs and looks up at me. "Our fights stopped coming as frequently when you came. It's almost like you helped us realize that we were better off if we stopped pretending to be the perfect couple and went back to being best friends."

"How did you and Scott start dating," I asked. It was completely out of my control. The question had just seemed to come out. "I'm sorry. It's none of my business."

"No, it's fine. It was the summer before our freshman year and we were on the roof of the mall. My mom kept sending Scott and I to lunch and to the movies. People in town started assuming we were dating so we kinda went along with it."

"What's your favorite part of this town?"

"The mall. Not because of the rooftop with Scott, but because shopping is fun and it was pretty much the only form in which my parents showed love. Letting me loose with a credit card. Letting me have whatever I wanted. I used to ask for useless things just to see if they'd say no, but they never did. They didn't care enough. I've gotten A's since fifth grade and they still don't want to acknowledge me. I even pretended to fail a test but they didn't even care."

"Why'd you do that?"

"I hoped they'd yell at me and acknowledge my presence. They didn't. Scott told me that I shouldn't keep being a straight A student for them, but that I should do it for me. He was right and Melissa showed that she was proud of my grades. She's always treated me like a daughter. It was nice having someone to act as a parental figure. Once, Melissa went to my parent teacher conference because my parents couldn't be bothered to attend themselves. They stayed home and fought over who the better parent was."

"I'm sorry Lydia. You have a whole group of people who love and acknowledge you though. You've got my family, Melissa, Stiles, Scott, and you've definitely got me."

"I really appreciate that Allison. You don't know how much it means to me for you letting me stay here. I know you'd rather be spending time with Scott."

"You and Scott are my favorite people in the world. I'm happy to spend my time with either of you."

"I figured you'd say that. So I invited Stiles to the movies and told Scott to come keep you company in my absence. They'll be here soon."

"You didn't have to do that."

"I wanted to. You and Scott need some time to yourselves. Trust me, you two need this."

The door bell rings and I hear the door open downstairs. 

"Allison," mom shouts. "Stiles is here."

Stiles appears in my doorway and smiles. "Hey ladies. Ms. Martin, can I interest you in a movie tonight?

Lydia laughs and kisses him. "Let me get my jacket and we'll go."

"Sounds good." Lydia leaves and Stiles smiles. "Hey Allison."

"Hey Stiles."

"So, my dad wants you over for dinner this Saturday. You free?"

"Yeah. It'll be nice. I haven't seen your dad in a while."

"Great."

Lydia's cell rang throughout the house and I hear her say "Mom, you know you're not supposed to contact me while this custody is ongoing." I heard the phone drop and rushed to the banister. Stiles beside me. Lydia was shaking in place. "Scott, won't be coming." 

"Lydia, what's wrong?" Stiles asked. 

"We can't go to the movies. I have to go to Scott's. Raffaele got released and he's challenging for custody."

"They can't let him gain custody. He tried to kill Scott. They'd never let him go live with him."

"Apparently they might. Scott's been moved to a hotel. My mom's taking the case. She did it before. My parents still don't know that Raffaele abused him. Raffaele can't get custody."

"You two go to the movie. I'll go see Scott. I'll keep you updated."

Lydia nods and says "Just make sure he doesn't blame himself. He's always putting the blame on himself."

"You enjoy your time with Stiles. I'll make sure Scott is ok."

/

I approached the front desk of Beacon Luxury and say "What room is Scott McCall in?"

"Are you a family member?"

"Girlfriend."

"Then I'm sorry. I can't give information to non-relatives." 

"Seriously? Can you call him down?"

"I'm very busy young lady. I think it's best that you wait to see him in school. Have a nice day now."

I walk away and go toward the elevator. I call Scott's cell. 

"Hey beautiful," he answered. "Is everything ok?"

"What room are you in?"

"35 on the second floor. Down the right hall. Lydia told you?"

"Yeah. I'll be up in a minute. The lady at the front desk is so difficult."

"I should've been the one to tell you, but I'm just so worried."

"It's okay. I'll see you soon."

"Alright. I love you."

"I love you too." I hang up and go to the room. Scott was waiting in the doorway already. He had dark circles under his eyes and his hair was disheveled. "You look like hell."

"I haven't really been sleeping well."

I hug him gently. "I'm so sorry Scott. How did he get out?"

"He claimed it was self defense. Said I swung at him first. He's a business man with powerful friends."

"They believed him after he assaulted you before?"

"He said I was a kid with anger issues sprouting from him leaving my mother. He golfs with the police commissioner." He pulls away and frowns. "He's friends with a lot of judges. If we get one of his friends, he might end up with custody over me. Allison, I don't wanna leave my mom."

"There's no way even your dad's friend can grant him custody if he sees what he did to you. Lydia and I are witnesses. Scott, I'm not letting him take you."

"No, I don't want you involved. I don't want him having a grudge against you. He loves Lydia as if she was his own daughter. Even after she hit him with a bat. I don't want you anywhere near him. I don't even want Lydia near him." I go to argue but he kisses me. "I know you can take care of yourself but I'm begging you to stay away. Please, don't get involved."

I look into his eyes. "I promise, I won't get involved. Can I come in?"

"Of course. I'm not supposed to talk with my mom so it'll be nice to have some company outside of school."

Stepping into the room, I noticed that his clothes were hung in the closet and there were boxes of his stuff in the corner. It reminded me of my rooms when I moved to new places. It was disconnected and ready to be moved in a matter of minutes.

"It's not home, but it'll do till court is over."

I nod and say "I get it." I turn to him and sit on the couch. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault. My dad is just a jerk." He sits down and pulls me into his arms. "I'm glad you're here."

"Of course. You need support and I wanna be able to provide that." He nods and kisses the side of my head. "Lydia wanted to come but I sent her to the movies with Stiles. I'm gonna keep her updated on how you are."

"I should be asking her how she is. She's going through the same thing." 

"You two never really started going out. You just, went along with what your parents wanted. Didn't that bother you?"

"For a while, but then we got used to it." He shifts so that he was laying back on the couch. "You know, I'd have been alone at this time if you hadn't of been here right now. The social worker left earlier and he was so strict. He bugged my phone so if my mom or Raffaele call me, the conversation will be recorded and used in court."

I turn so I'm laying chest to chest with him. He was staring at the ceiling and holding me tightly. He looked so vulnerable and tired. I cup his left cheek and stroke the dark circle with my thumb. His bruise was healing nicely. Scott's eyes met mine and it broke my heart to see the tears in his eyes.

"Scott, are you ok?"

"I'm petrified Allison. I don't wanna live with him. What if he wins?" Scott starts to cry and I clench at him tightly when I pull him into a hug. "I don't want to leave my mom."

"You won't. She'll win. Scott, you're not going anywhere. There's no way your mom is gonna let Raffaele get custody." I kiss his neck quickly before resuming to just having my temple against his. "I promise. You'll be stuck in that amazing house with your mom until we graduate."

Scott nods against me and I feel him wipe his eyes. "Can, can you stay for a little bit? I don't want to be alone."

"Of course Scott. I'll stay as long as you want me to."

He nods and I take his hand gently, pulling him towards the humongous bed. He looked like he hadn't slept in a few days. Scott lays down and I lay beside him, resting my head on his shoulder and running my hand up and down his chest. His breathing evened out and he had stopped crying completely. 

"I'm so happy you're here," he said in a quiet voice. "You make everything seem not as bad. You make me see the light in a dark situation."

I kiss his cheek and nod. "I'm glad I can help. Get some rest."

He falls asleep five minutes later, his arms wound around me. His head rested on my stomach. He looked so innocent and I knew that I'd have to leave soon but I couldn't find the strength to do that.

 _To Allison_  
_From Dad_  
_Your mother and I aren't gonna be home till tomorrow afternoon. You and Lydia behave yourselves._

Great. Now I don't need to leave. I close my eyes and I feel myself drifting as Scott's gentle breathes lull me to sleep.

 


	22. We're A Team

"Hello," Scott said sleepily beside me.

I had no desire to open my eyes and I could tell he was on the phone. The female voice was the exact one from the front desk. 

"Mr. McCall, I'm sorry to have woken you but there is a Lydia Martin who is here to see you. She won't take no for an answer. She's not family. Shall I call for security?"

"No, send her up."

"Right away sir."

"Oh, Ms. Gould, please let all visits up. Especially my girlfriend. Just for future reference." 

That brought a smile to my face.

"Yes sir."

Scott hangs up and I feel the bed shift. Scott kisses my forehead and I open my eyes. 

"I'm sorry. Did I wake you?"

"Nah, I was just didn't want to open my eyes. Guess I won't have anymore trouble visiting you from now on."

"You heard that?"

"Yeah. It was sweet." I notice a dry tear streak on his cheek so I wipe it gently. "You ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm sorry I lost it. I shouldn't have broken down like that."

I sit up and kiss him softly. "You're allowed to break down every now and then. I don't think any less of you for doing it. In fact, I think you're an even better guy for not being afraid to show emotion."

"I love you. You're so understanding and I'm the luckiest guy in the world."

A banging on the hotel door came a second later, just as we were leaning in for another kiss. Scott kisses my forehead quickly.

"She'll just bust down the door if I don't open it."

I nod and go brush my teeth while Scott let's Lydia in. When I walked back inside, Lydia was sitting next to Scott on the couch. A space between them was left for me. 

"I figured you stayed when you didn't come home." Lydia said with a smile before turning to Scott. "You doing alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. What about you?"

"I'm fine."

Scott nods and says "I'm gonna go brush my teeth."

He leaves and Lydia shakes her head. 

"How was last night. Did he actually sleep?"

I nod. "Yeah, the whole night. What about you? I know you've been having trouble sleeping yourself."

"Stiles stayed last night. I hope you don't mind."

"Nah, it's fine. If it helps you sleep, he's welcomed over anytime. Just try not to let my parents find out."

"Thanks. It just, he really does help me sleep."

"I get it. Whenever I'm upset, Scott helps me calm down. Even if it's just a text message from him."

"I get it." Lydia then glances towards the bathroom. "Scott, are you alright? I didn't even hear the water stop running."

The faucet water stops and Scott walks out. Pale as a ghost and looking like he'd collapse at any second. 

"Scott," I said standing quickly. "What's wrong?"

"I think my lack of sleep has finally caught up with me."

Lydia stands and says "Your reflection again?"

He nods and I was left glancing between the two of them. Scott steps away from me and grabs his jacket and phone. 

"I'm gonna go for a walk." He looks up at me with a smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes. "I'll call you later."

Lydia grabs his arm before he leaves. "You're not Raffaele." He nods and she lets him go. 

/

After an hour of him being gone, Lydia and I went home. We were sitting in the living room when what Lydia said to Scott came to mind.

"What did you mean when you said he's not Raffaele?"

Lydia purses her lips and says "Scott's a great guy, practically perfect, but he's always doubting himself. When his parents first split, he had a panic attack in the bathroom. He said he saw Raffaele in the mirror. That he was his father."

"That's what you meant by reflection. He saw himself as Raffaele."

"That's why he took a step away from you. Raffaele smashed Melissa's head through a glass window and hit her towards the end of their marriage. He's scared that he's like Raffaele."

"He's nothing like Raffaele."

"We know that, but he doubts it. We just have to stand by him and he'll realize that we're right." 

Stiles calls and Lydia leaves the room to talk to him. I start to go upstairs but the doorbell rings. I open the door and Scott stood on the other side, looking no better than when he'd left the hotel. 

"You wanna come in?"

He shakes his head. "I don't think it'd be a good choice."

I take his hand and say "It's not a good choice, it's a great choice." I tug him through the door and lead him to the kitchen. "I'll get you some water. You look like you're about to pass out."

"I'm fine." 

I lean him against the counter and wrap my arms around his neck. His arms don't go to my waist though. 

"Scott, you're not Raffaele. You'd never hurt another person. You're not that type of guy. You're honest, smart, athletic, and sweet. You might have his DNA, but you also have your mother's. That's why you shouldn't be worried that you're like him, because you're not. You're like your mother and there is not a doubt in my mind about that."

Scott rests his head against mine and says "I've seen what my dad did to my mom. What he did to me wasn't that big of a deal, but what he did to my mom...," he trails off and shakes his head. "Just the thought of me ever hurting you in anyway makes me sick to my stomach. You mean the world to me and I didn't think it was possible for a guy to hurt the woman he loves, but apparently it is. When I looked in the mirror and saw him looking back at me, I couldn't help but think, what if I became like him when I got older?"

"Scott, you have a whole group of people behind you who will help you be the guy you want to be. You have a support team."

Scott smiles and says "Are you on that team?"

"Babe, I'm most definitely on the team. I'm gonna have to challenge Lydia for the position of team captain. She's known you longer so it'll be very hard to get that title."

"Thank you. I really needed to hear all that."

I nod and kiss him softly. Scott's arms wrap around my waist and tug me closer. He turns us slowly so that my back was against the counter and then lifts me by my waist so that I was sitting on it. I pull away slightly and smile at him. 

"Lydia's here and I thought we'd wait a little longer."

"That's fine. I didn't want to take this that far anyway. Not until you're absolutely sure you're ready. I meant what I said when I told you I wouldn't mind waiting."

"You're the perfect boyfriend. Do you wanna stay over?"

Scott kisses me and I just lose myself in it. So sweet and gentle, but filled with passion and love. 

"Hi sweetheart," my dad said behind me causing me to jump in shock, which also caused me to bite Scott's lip. "Ouch. You ok there Scott?"

Scott gets a nervous look and says "Perfectly fine Mr. Argent. Just a little blood."

Kate smiles and says "My niece is feisty. Those are the ones you have to watch out for."

"I've noticed," Scott said. "I'll be in my way now. It was nice to see you all again."

"Scott, stay for dinner," Mom says. "We're having roast beef."

I turn to him with a smile. "Please?"

"I'd be happy to stay," Scott says. He lifts me off the counter and I stand beside him. 

/

After dinner, Scott and dad played cards while I helped mom clean the kitchen. Aunt Kate and Lydia were in the living room discussing the latest fashion trends. When I went back into the dining room, dad was laughing as he laid down his cards. Scott puts down his own cards and grins.

"You're a lucky young man," dad said with a smile.

"I'm dating your daughter, I'm the luckiest guy in the world."

I sneak up behind him and wrap my arms loosely around his shoulders. "You've got that right, but my dad has my support for next round so let's see how lucky you are on your own." I kiss his cheek before moving to sit next to my dad. 

/

When Scott is about to leave after having beat my dad in four rounds of cards, Stiles bursts through the front door first. 

"You're not going back to that hotel," he said. 

Scott then says "Stiles, what do you mean?"

"I spoke it over with my dad and he decided to give you our guest room until this whole thing gets settled. We talked it over with child services and we had your stuff moved to the house so don't even think of trying to argue."

"Stiles, I don't know what to say." Scott then hugs him. "Thanks man. I don't know how I'm ever gonna repay you."

"You're the only jock that hasn't shoved me against the lockers or treated me like dirt so in my book, we're already even." Stiles then turns to me. "And Allison is always over at the Stilinski household so you don't have to worry about asking my dad if it's ok." 

"I like the sound of that," I said.

 


	23. First Court Date

Three weeks later, Scott was still with Stiles and Mr. Stilinski just adored Scott. Scott would be meeting me in the back of the library. He needed to tell me something. 

"Girls, come eat some breakfast," my dad said. 

I find Lydia waiting at the bottom of the stairs for me. "Hey sis," she said. "You hungry?"

"Starved. Wanna go to the mall after school?"

"I can't. Scott's giving me a ride to court. We both have to make an appearance today."

"You both have court after school?"

"Yeah. He told you already, didn't he?"

"Um, no. This is the first I'm hearing about it."

"He was probably gonna tell you at school. He's been leaning on you for support throughout this spiral that he and I call our lives." She smiles at me. "The only reason he's not in a deep spiral of depression, is because he has you. I was never a good help because I had been struggling with the aftershock of my own custody battle. You keep him grounded, like an anchor. He loves you. I can tell because he looks at you the way my dad looks at money. As if losing you will tear him apart." Lydia presses her finger into my shoulder. "Hurt him and I'll reach into your chest and rip out your heart. But if you're willing to break Scott's, I doubt I'll find one ."

I smile and say "I don't plan on ever hurting Scott. But while we're making threats, if you hurt Stiles, I'll have to burn all your designer bags and put Prada up for adoption."

She gasps and says "Not my baby. Prada's a sweetheart."

"You're right, I should just take her."

She laughs and we go into the dinning room to have breakfast. 

"Lydia, social services informed us of the court meeting, but we wanted to tell you that we'll be driving up to San Francisco to visit relatives for the weekend. The house is yours for the weekend but I'd feel better if you stayed with another friend till we come back," dad said just as we were getting up to leave for school.

"Thanks Mr. Argent. I really appreciate you all letting me stay here."

Mom smiles and says "It's a pleasure having you here. Get to school safely girls."

"We will mom. Love you guys. I'll come straight home."

/

When I got to the library, I found Scott in the corner with a red rose. 

"Hey beautiful."

I take the rose, putting it next to us on the bookshelf. I wrap my arms around his neck and pull him into a sweet kiss.

"Hey handsome."

"I've missed you."

I laugh and say "You saw me yesterday and the day before that and the day before that." I kiss his cheek and smile. "It's Friday. We've spent all week together."

"Is this your way of saying you're sick of me? I'll back off if you want me to."

"I'll never be sick of you and I totally don't want you to back off. I love you."

He smiles and says "I love you too. I had planned on asking you to a movie for tomorrow but I have court today after school and then again all day tomorrow. I'd ask you to come but I don't want you anywhere near Raffaele. I need you to be safe."

"Even if you did invite me, my family and I are going to San Francisco for the weekend. Visiting some relatives."

"Well, if you get bored give me a call. It'll probably save me from my dad. I want you to have fun though so if you don't end up calling this weekend, I won't hold it against you."

"You give me a  call if you need anything though. Even if its just because you can't fall asleep."

"I truly am the luckiest guy in the world." He leans in to kiss me but his phone rings. "You've got to be kidding me." He takes out the phone and sighs. "It's the guy from social services." He puts the phone to his ear. "Scott speaking. I know, straight from school. Alright. Yes. I will see you there."

I smile and say "You need a break from everything stressful in the world." I start tugging him towards the back door of the library. "Ditch with me."

"You've never ditched a day of school in your life."

"You have. Teach me how. What's the first step?"

"We pick a location. Where do you want to go?"

"Lets go to my house. My parents are working and Kate is gonna be at the gym all afternoon. We can watch movies and make out and talk. What do you think?"

"I think that's the best way to spend today. Let's do it."

He opens the door for me and we sneak passed security and hope onto his dirt bike. He puts the helmet on me before putting one on himself. When we got to the house, we sat in the living room. 

"You worried about getting in trouble," he asked while I kept glancing at the front door. "We can go back if you are. I don't wanna get you in trouble with your parents."

"No," I said easily. I kiss him and shake my head. "I just, I don't know. I'm just a little nervous about someone coming home early. I don't wanna go back to school though. Today it's just you and me."

"It can be you and me at lunch if it has to be. I don't want you to be worried."

"I'm fine. Can we go upstairs though? We can lock my room door and it'll be like no ones home, just in case."

He kiss my forehead and smiles. "Sure. Anything you want."

I stand and he lifts me bridal style, causing me to laugh. He carried me all the way to my room and lays me on the bed gently. 

"You literally popped out of a chick flick. It's official."

He closes my room door and locks it before grabbing my laptop so we could watch a movie. 

"You love me," he said. 

"Yeah, I do."

He kisses me and it was supposed to be innocent, but it sparked something in me so I pull him closer. He was hovering over me and I felt so carefree. It was refreshing. Not having to worry about anything. I pull away gasping for air and Scott was still above me, we were looking into each other's eyes. I wanted him, but I didn't feel ready. 

"I'm, I'm sorry," I mutter, not looking into his eyes anymore. I didn't want to see his disappointment. "I'm just not ready yet."

"Allison," he said but I wouldn't look at him. "Allison, come on, look at me." I did and he didn't look disappointed, he was smiling sweetly. "I don't want you to feel bad. You're not ready and I'm fine with that. Just promise me, when you are ready, I'm your guy."

I nod and say "I promise. I want you to be my first."

He kisses the tip of my nose before rolling onto his back beside me. "Let's just talk. There isn't really a movie I want to watch right now."

"That's fine. What do you want to talk about?"

"You."

"Scott, I'm being serious."

"So am I. How about you tell me about your parents? How did they meet?"

"My dad walked into the wrong lecture and he saw my mom. The way my dad tells it, he asked her out and she swooned but my mom says that he stuttered and she turned him down before agreeing after he did it again with a lot more confidence."

"That's cute. Which do you think is the correct one?"

"I think my mom is because I see my dad stutter when he tries to say something like he's flirting with her all over again. I think he's nervous that he'll mess up and she'll laugh or something. Put a gun in his hands though and he's the most confident guy ever."

Scott smiles and says "Who was your first crush?"

"Nick Lionty. I was in second grade and he was the only boy that didn't believe in cooties."

He laughs and I turn onto my side so I was facing him. "Who was your first crush?"

"Kim Possible." 

He said it so seriously I didn't know whether to believe him or not. I tried to contain a laugh but it didn't work. 

"From the TV show? Really?"

"Listen, she was pretty, smart, and she fought bad guys. She was everyone's childhood crush."

Him being serious only made me bury my face into his shoulder so my laughter could be muffled. 

"I see your point. Ok. So your first crush was a girl that wasn't even real."

"I was in the first grade. Give me a break."

I kiss him quickly and smile. "You're so sweet. What's your favorite memory of your childhood?"

Scott smiles and says "When I was six, my mom got me my first lacrosse stick and took me to the park to practice for an hour. She had pretended to be a crowd of people and was cheering me on. I loved it because my dad had started working later hours and wasn't around much so she made double the effort to spend more time with me."

"You have a great mom."

"I know. What about you? What's your favorite childhood memory?"

"Um, when I was five, my parents found me standing on the couch, pretending the floor was lava. My mom threw off her shoes and joined me while my dad pretended to be a lava monster that was trying to eat us. He chased us around the living room for what seemed like forever."

Scott smiles at me and says "Maybe one day that'll be us."

"You chasing me around the living room?"

"No, well yeah, but chasing you and our daughter."

I was glowing at the idea. Having a family with Scott would be great. Growing old with him. It warmed my heart just thinking of what that would be like.

"Maybe," I said. "Depending on how you play your cards."

"Well, according to your dad, I play pretty well."

I rest my head on his chest and say "This is nice. Us just talking. Don't get me wrong, kissing you is absolutely amazing, but this is great."

He takes my hand in his and lifts it to his mouth, giving it a quick peck. "I know what you mean." 

"Are you nervous about court?" I asked without thinking. "I'm sorry. You don't have to answer that. I promised a stress free day."

"It's fine." He takes in a deep breath. "No, I'm not nervous. I'm mostly sad because I don't want to live with Raffaele. I hate being around him."

"I know you do. I hate you being around him too. Especially after everything he's done to you. I can't believe the courts are actually giving him a chance at winning custody after everything you've been through."

Hs shrugs and starts running his hand through my hair. "There's nothing we can do about it. We'll show the court the police reports and pictures and hope that'll break the bias opinion they have of Raffaele."

"It'll work."

"You sound so sure."

I lean over him and say "I have to be. Losing you is not an option."

"You won't lose me. I promise."

"Good. Let's change the topic."

"To what?"

"What college do you want to go to?"

"Duke University." He turns so he's leaning over me. "What about you?"

"Yale. Both my parents went so it's always been a dream of mine to go there."

"You'll be great there. It's only...a nine hour drive from Duke."

"You make it sound like its nothing."

"It is nothing if you love the person enough. I know I certainly do."

"Why Duke?"

"Raffaele always complained about how he didn't get in and I've always tried to be better. He told me I wouldn't even be able to get into UCLA like he had so I wanna prove him wrong."

I smile and run my hands through the front of his hair and ruffle it. "I have no doubt you'll get in."

"And you'll get into Yale."

"You really wouldn't mind the trip to come visit me? It's a nine hour drive at best."

"I'd drive for twenty four hours straight if it meant I got to see you. You wanna know why?"

"Why?"

"Because I love you."

 


	24. Court Is In Session

After a few more hours of just talking about random things, Scott left to go pick up Lydia. Seeing him calm and smiling made me feel accomplished. I'm the one that made that happen. He was happy to spend time with me and that made me feel like the luckiest girl in the world.

"Allison," Kate shouted after the front door closed. "You home?"

"Upstairs!"

She came up and stood in my doorway. "How was school?"

"Oh, it's was the usual. Boring classes, impatient teachers, and complaining about it all at lunch with friends."

Kate grins and says "Did my niece finally ditch a day of school?"

"What? No."

"You totally did. What was the special occasion?" She pulls me over to my bed. "Oh come on, I'm not your parents, I'm your fun aunt. Tell me. Your parents will never know."

"Scott was stressing about court and I didn't want that so I asked him to ditch with me."

"So, did you two...do the deed?"

I blush and say "I told him I wasn't ready and he was fine with it. He's amazing. I'm probably the luckiest girl in the world."

"A guy who doesn't mind waiting. That's the first I've heard of it."

"Scott's different."

"You ready for our trip?"

"Yeah, I guess. I just feel so uncomfortable leaving Lydia and Scott. Scott is still staying with Stiles and Lydia's arranged to stay with Erica."

"Alright, so you excited about going back to San Francisco?"

"Not really. Beacon Hills is home. I feel like I belong here."

Kate smiles and says "You do sweetheart, but you belong anywhere you want to. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

"I know. Thanks Kate. You've always had my best interest in mind."

"You're my only niece and I love you, which is why I talked it over with your parents and we won't be going away this weekend." 

"What?"

"Your parents and I talked it over and we all know you wouldn't enjoy it if you're worrying about your friends. So we talked it over while I was at the gym and decided we'd stay for court. Lydia and Scott need our support, specifically yours."

"Scott doesn't want me in court with him. He doesn't want me near Raffaele."

"Well, that doesn't mean you can't go to support Lydia. Plus, you don't have to be in the court room with him to support him."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go."

"Your parents will meet us there."

/

When we reached the courthouse, Scott was outside pacing back and forth. His hands were at his sides, clenched into fists so tightly that I could see his knuckles turning white from across the hall. Lydia stormed out of the courtroom next to the one Scott was pacing in front of. Kate and I walked over just in time for Lydia to plop down on the bench between the courtrooms.

"Allison," she said quickly. "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be going out of town."

"You two need me. Mind if I keep you two company?"

Scott shakes his head and says "Not at all." He slumps into the bench and buries his face into his hands. "I'm glad you're here."

Lydia pulls me into a tight hug. "I am too. God, it's only just begun and it's already hell." Lydia sits back down and turns to Scott. "How's your battle going?"

"Apparently, when my dad put my mom's head through a glass window, it was self defense. She "lunged" at him. He asked about you."

Lydia sighs and says "My dad asked about you too."

"Can I go get you anything," Kate asked as I sat between Scott and Lydia. "Drinks or some snacks?"

Lydia then says "I can't even think about food without wanting to throw up. A water would be great though."

Scott nods and says "Make that two."

Kate leaves and Scott called back into the courtroom by the bailiff. Three weeks later, twenty court dates later, I found myself alone with Lydia on a bench outside the courtroom. Scott was in court, Stiles was on his way, my parents and Kate were outside getting some air.

"How are you doing with this whole thing?"

Lydia chuckles and says "I'm terrible. My parents are neglecting me even more. They claim to love me and that they want what's best for me, but they act like I'm not there."

"I'm sorry Lydia."

"You're lucky. I hope you realize that. Your parents are together. You're their main concern. You make them proud and they care about where you are. You don't know how lucky you really are. You have a family.

"You've got Stiles, John, Melissa, my parents, Kate, Erica, Scott, and me. We're your family. You can stay with any of us. Hell, you can move in with us full time. My parents love you and you're my sister. We'll get through this today. I'll be here for you every court date."

"What about Scott? He needs you too."

"He doesn't want me in court. Doesn't want me around Raffaele."

"He just doesn't want you to doubt how much he loves you. Raffaele has always been a supporter of my relationship with him. He started talking grandkids the summer before this year. Scott doesn't want you to feel like you need his father's approval."

"I know that. Scott loves me and I love him. That's all that matters in a relationship."

"I need this to be over already," Scott said when he came back a while later, swapping with Lydia who had to go into the courtroom again. He wraps his arms around me as he sits on the arm rest of the bench. "If this starts to run late, I want you to go home. I don't want you to not be comfortable."

I lean back into his chest and shake my head. "No, you and Lydia need me."

"We'll be fine. You being exhausted doesn't help anyone though. It'll just make me worry about you and then I'll have two things to stress about."

"I don't want you stressed, but I'm still not leaving."

He kisses the side of my head. "You're so stubborn, but I love how supportive you are."

I shift so that I was out of his arms and look at him. His hair was combed  to the side and he was smiling sweetly.

"Scott," a man's voice said. It was deep and strained voice, as if the person was trying to hide the anger he was experiencing. It was a failed attempt. Turning I noticed the voice was from Raffaele. "Where's Lydia?"

Scott glares and says "That's none of your business."

"Who is this?" He asked turning toward me. His fists clenched as he looked at the distance between Scott and me, which was very little. "New friend?"

"Most definitely none of your business."

"Well, aren't you gonna introduce yourself sweetheart? Didn't your parents teach you manners?"

Scott stands and says "She doesn't have to talk to you if she doesn't want to and don't you dare insult her."

Lydia steps over and Raffaele smiles. "Lydia. You better keep an eye on my son. He's already made a new friend. Wouldn't want you two splitting up or anything."

"Who Scott talks to or spends time with is none of your concern. He can take care of himself."

Raffaele chuckles and says "I've always liked my girls with a sharp tongue. Guess you got more than just my eye color Scotty."

"Don't call me that," Scott said through clenched teeth. 

I take his hand and he visibly relaxes. Raffaele had a tight grip on my wrist in the next second. 

"I'm not gonna let a whore ruin my son's future!"

Deputies came running over but there was no point because in the next second, I had Raffaele on his back with my foot on his chest, keeping him pinned. He shoved my leg off which caused me to lose my balance and fall, cutting my arm on a metal bit sticking out of the wall. The next thing I see is Scott punch him and Raffaele passed out on the floor. Deputies shoving Scott away from Raffaele but he broke through and knelt next to me. 

"I'm fine," I said when they walked me into an empty court room so a paramedic could look at my arm. One having been called to check over Raffaele. Scott, Lydia, Stiles, Melissa, Kate, and my parents following. "Seriously, it's just a little cut. It's nothing."

Scott was pacing back and forth, shaking his head. "I should've called a deputy over as soon as he walked over to us. I'm an idiot."

"Hey, stop, you're not an idiot. Raffaele is just a jerk."

"I hope I broke his jaw," Scott said glancing at the door. "I don't care if he's rough and demeaning with me but grabbing and calling  _you_ what he did...I can't accept that."

Stiles then says "You did the right thing from what Lydia tells me."

Dad then says "Thank you for having Allison's best interest at heart."

"Always sir. I love her. I'm so sorry. I should've done something before he got so close. I'm so sorry."

Kate then says "Woah, brown eyes, this isn't your fault."

I grab Scott's hand and he stops pacing back and forth. I tug him toward me and kiss the hand I'm holding. "It's not your fault. I'm fine. It's just a cut." I glance down at my bandaged arm. "See, its all good. I'm bandaged up and I'm fine. You don't have to worry."

Mom then says "We're pressing charges."

"Absolutely," Kate said. "I want him fried."

A knock on the courtroom door snaps them all out of their vendetta hazed mindset. A judge walks in and Melissa stands. 

"Judge Talbot, right now is not a good time. Court was adjourned."

The judge shakes his head. "I've known Raffaele and you all my life. He taught me how to ride a bike because my father was out of town and my mother had to work. You tutored me in Chemistry so I wouldn't have to retake the course. I was fully intent on granting him custody because of our friendship and the fact that I've never seen or heard him say a bad thing against you or Scott. Today, when he grabbed this young lady and insulted her, I was stunned. I'd never seen him so violent and this was him sober. After that, I could imagine all the injuries reported being done by him in a drunken state. Raising your hand against a child and women is inexcusable. I'll be granting you full custody Melissa. I'd also like to testify against Raffaele if you'd like to press charges against him, young lady."

Dad nods and says "That would be very helpful Judge Talbot."

"Please, call me Mark. I've known Melissa since I was six. A friend of hers is a friend of mine." He turns to Melissa. "I'm so sorry for not believing you. I just...I've never thought of Raffaele as violent. He's always seemed so loving. I guess that I just didn't want to believe it. I'm sorry."

Melissa hugs him and says "It's ok Mark. You've seen the real him. You made the right choice. Thank you."

/

That night, Scott was laying on the couch with me. 

"I'm sorry I got you hurt."

"Stop. Scott, you didn't do anything."

"That's what's wrong. I didn't do anything and you got hurt. I didn't think and you got hurt."

I turn and say "Scott, you need to stop talking like that. You knocked him out. You didn't know he'd grab my arm. I know you want to protect me, but you can't protect me all the time. I appreciate your effort, but I know how to protect myself. I did have him pinned to the ground."

"I just don't like feeling like I can't keep you safe. You being hurt makes me hurt. I've never been so angry until he hurt you. I was practically vibrating with anger. I couldn't understand how I could feel so angry at one person. I've always been angry at my dad, but never that much before. Hurting you was just the cherry on the cake." He nestles into my shoulder. "I'm sorry. I never want you to see me like that ever again. I never want you to get hurt because of me ever again."

I grab his chin. "You shouldn't worry. I'm fine, I'm here, and I'm with you. You won't be leaving town or my house. It's perfect."

"It'd make me feel better if you'd rest."

"I will. Just stop blaming yourself for what happened. You weren't the one that hurt me."

"I know. I just feel responsible. I know what he's like and I still let him get close to you."

"Relax. Judge Talbot granted you the restraining order and another judge is granting one for me. He won't come anywhere near us."

"The only McCalls that will be near you is my mom and me."

"Mhmm, that sounds nice."

"Good." He kisses my temple. "Now get some rest."

Curling in his chest, I buried my face into his throat. His arms were around my waist securely but gently as to make me feel safe but not trapped. It was perfect.

 


	25. Roses, Candles, and Kisses

Scott had been over every night for the past two weeks, doing homework with me in the dinning room as my mom and Kate cooked and my dad organized the garage. Today I was going to his house after school. Melissa had the late shift and it would be Scott's first day home since the custody battle had started. It'll be nice to spend time with him there.

"Hey Allison," Lydia said as I was about to walk out the door. "Stiles and I are going to watch some movies at his place, do you and Scott wanna come?"

"We were actually gonna just hang at his house for a little while."

"Ooh, alone?"

"Yeah, does it matter?"

Lydia grins and says "Well, you wouldn't want Melissa walking in on you two. Does she have the late shift tonight?"

"Yeah, but we're really just gonna be talking and having dinner."

"You two still haven't...," she trails off. 

"No." I said feeling blood rush to my cheeks. "No, we've been waiting. He wants to make sure that I'm completely ready when we decide to do that."

Lydia smiles and says "Of course he does. Stiles and I took that step during court. I mean, not  _during_  court but like the battle, you know? It's still on going and I was really stressed towards the beginning of the whole idea of court again and he was just holding me and I knew I was ready to take that step with him."

"Why didn't you tell me? Best friends are supposed to talk about this kinda stuff."

Lydia sits on the steps and shrugs. "I've been busy with court and you've been busy juggling time with Scott and me. I didn't know when we'd get the time so I kinda put it off."

I sit next to her and say "I'll always make time for you." I nudge her shoulder with my own. "So, what was it like?"

"It's was really great. I actually had to laugh at one point because he was wearing batman boxers. It was just like any other night for us. There wasn't any pressure and it was just the two of us being ourselves. He was nervous and I was too, but we agreed to stop if we did something the other didn't like. It wasn't because we had to or because we were bored, we just wanted to be with each other in that way."

"Did you two talk about it before it happened?"

"Um, we had set a date for it to happen but then the custody battle had started so we hadn't spoken about it since then, but then it just happened."

I start fidgeting with my hands as I look at my feet. "Did it hurt?"

"Yeah, but Stiles was really sweet about it. He didn't rush it and he kept it slow. I think that helped." She smiles at me. "I'm so excited that we're talking about this. I felt so distant from you when I was keeping this to myself."

"You could've told Erica. You have known her longer."

"Yeah, but she had a bet that Scott and I would've done it by now." Lydia's eyes widen when she realizes what she says. "Scott and I never came close to even talking about this. I don't want you to thing that she bet that because we were all over each other or whatever, which we never were. It's just, our parents pushed us to be together and then so did our friends. The idea kinda bothered me a little. You know, it's just it was weird because we didn't really care about each other in that way."

"I get it. You two dated. I know that. I'm not gonna act like you two never dated. You don't have to be so worried about telling me these sort of things."

"You're the best. I'm so lucky to have you as a sister." She wraps her arm around my shoulders. "So, think you and Scott could come watch the movie? Just one movie?"

"I'll ask if he wants to."

/

That's how Scott and I ended up sitting on the couch with Stiles and Lydia. We were watching The Notebook. Stiles had fallen asleep and Scott tried to hide his tears but it didn't work. 

"You're so sensitive," I whispered to him. 

Scott kisses the tip of my nose. "I'm man enough to admit when a chick flick is really touching. I wouldn't watch one on my own but I'd watch anything with you."

"Mhm, I like the sound of that."

I give him a quick kiss and rest my head on his shoulder. "You're so cute," he said. "What do you wanna eat tonight? I could make something or we could order out. Anything you want."

"How about I make pancakes? Kinda breakfast for dinner?"

"Whatever you want. Plus, I love your pancakes."

"Great. Breakfast for dinner."

Lydia nudges Stiles. "Babe, wake up. It's over."

"Thank god. Can we watch Batman now?"

"Not till you watch The Notebook without falling asleep."

I laugh at the sight of Stiles slumping deeper into the couch and stand from my seat. I stretch out my arms to Scott. "On that note, I think it's time we go. Thanks for the movie."

Scott stands after taking my hands and turns to Stiles. "You can do it man. Just pay attention to the storyline, it's kinda interesting."

"I'm a romantic, but you make me look like a total romance Scrooge. Get out before you make me look worse."

"Alright," Scott said with a laugh. "Good luck. Lyds, don't forget you're coming over to bake with mom and Allison."

"You kidding? I'd never pass up that opportunity," she said with a smile. "Thanks for coming tonight." 

"Thanks for having us," I said. "We'll let you two get back to your night. See ya tomorrow Lyds."

/

At Scott's, I was making pancakes and Scott was leaning on the counter beside me. 

"How does it feel to be home?"

"Great. I've missed it. I've missed my mom. I don't wanna see a courtroom for custody over me ever again." 

"He won't be able. Restraining order, remember?"

He nods and says "Enough about that. This is supposed to be a happy night with no stress. No more talk about Raffaele." He wraps his arms around my waist. "Pancakes smell great. Can I help with anything?"

"You can cut some strawberries."

"Ok. Anything else?"

"A kiss would be great."

He kisses my cheek and starts to cut strawberries. He feeds me one and I laugh. After the pancakes were done, we moved to the living room and started feeding each other. The living room had candles and rose pedals on the floor forming a circle around the couch. Moonlight streaming through the living room window. 

"How many strawberries are left," I asked.

"Seven. Why?"

"Do you want more pancakes?"

Scott shakes his head and feeds me a strawberry. "I just want you to stay right here with me."

"That sounds nice," I said leaning into his chest. His shirt smelt of mint and a hint of Cool Water cologne. "You smell nice."

"So do you. Strawberries with a hint of vanilla." He buries his nose into my neck and makes a show of sniffing. "Yummy."

"I love you."

Scott kisses my shoulder and says "I love you too."

I pull him into a kiss and he shifts to get a better angle. It was sweet and soft. It was different from all our other kisses. I don't know how or why, but it was. Maybe it was the fact that we were finally alone after countless nights of both my parents and his mom checking up on us. Maybe it was the romantic setting. Maybe it was just the fact that I was falling deeper in love with him, something I didn't think was possible. I felt Scott's hands grab the hem of my shirt and start to pull the fabric up but then he stopped and pulled away. 

"I'm sorry," he said. "I let hormones get the better of me. I'm sorry. I don't want you to think that I set tonight up to pressure you into sex. That's the last thing I want. I wanna wait till you're ready."

I kiss him and pull away slightly. "I'm ready. I want this with you." I pull away nervously. "Unless you don't want to. Do you?"

He chuckles and says "Are you seriously asking me that question?"

"Stupid question?"

"World record stupid." Scott kisses me again and I wrap my arms around his neck. He pulls away again. "You can change your mind at any point, you know that right? I won't be upset if you change your mind."

I laugh and shake my head. "I'm sure about this." 

"Are you sure about the living room?"

"That we'll have to change." I stand and reach my hand out to him. "Come on."

Scott takes my hand and pulls me into a kiss, but only after he had blown out the candles. I kiss him back but start walking toward the staircase. Scott lifts me by my waist and I wrap my legs loosely around his waist. Not breaking the kiss for even a second. He slowly walked to his room and when we got there, he laid us down gently. 

"I love you," he said when we pulled away for air. 

I caress his cheek and say "I love you too." 

I sit up and kiss him again. Pulling his shirt up gently and pulling away only to take it off. I toss it to the floor and Scott takes my shirt off, tossing it behind him somewhere. Neither of us were paying attention. All that mattered was that we were both ready for this step. The night progressed from there, soft kisses and caresses. It was perfect.

/

When I  woke up, the sunlight was beaming in through the bedroom window. I let out a little groan and felt a soft kiss to the back of my neck. 

"What's wrong beautiful?"

I lay on my back so I could look at Scott who was on his side, his lower waist covered by the bedsheets. I pull the sheets closer to my chest and smile up at him. 

"Nothing. Everything is perfect."

Scott leans down and kisses me softly. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

I shake my head and pull him back into the kiss. "You were perfect."

"You do remember that I made us fall off the bed at one point, right?"

"True, but you were still perfect."

He smiles and kisses my neck. "I love you."

I kiss him and shove him to the bed so that I was hovering over him. I rest my head on his chest and smile. 

"We should really get dressed. My mom will be home soon."

"I don't wanna move."

"I know how you feel, but I'd rather get dressed than have my mom call your parents to tell them that she found us naked in bed."

"Lets get dressed," I said sitting up quickly. 

He laughs and says "You totally think your dad would knock me out if he found out."

"No," I said picking out a new outfit from a dresser draw. "I'm pretty sure he'd shoot you."

Scott shrugs and says "It'd be worth it." He sits up and says "You can go shower first. Unless you'd like some company."

"I'll be showering first." I grab a towel and before closing the door, I turn back to Scott. "You can join me next time."

"Sounds great."

After he goes into the shower, I change and stare at the bed which was now made. No longer a mess of wrinkled sheets. 

"Replaying last night in your mind?"

"More like thinking about how the bed is no longer a disaster."

I smile at him and toss him a pair of boxers. He slides them on under the towel before quickly getting dressed. We brush our teeth before heading downstairs for some breakfast. Scott made pancakes in the shape of a heart with a side of scrambled eggs, bacon, and strawberries.

"You're so good to me."

Scott kisses my forehead and says "You deserve it."

"I'm home," Melissa said as she walked through the front door. 

"Hey mom," Scott called. "Breakfast is here."

"You are a god sent." She walks in and kisses my forehead. "Good morning Allison. How was your night? Were you here long?"

"Not really. Only for dinner and to sleep. We watched a movie with Lydia and Stiles before coming here. My night was amazing."

Melissa turns to the fridge and Scott and I smile at each other. 

"Let's start baking people," Lydia said as she walked into the kitchen. 

Scott then says "You three have fun. I'll just go see what Stiles is up to."

Melissa nods and says "Alright dear. We'll save you a brownie."

"Great." He turns to me and says "I'll see you later?"

"Definitely." I kiss him and smile. "Have fun with Stiles."

"I will. One more kiss before I go?"

I kiss him again and he smiles.

"Another."

I laugh and kiss him again. 

"Another."

I roll my eyes but kiss him again.

"Another."

Melissa grabs his shoulders and turns him around. "Enough already. Go see Stiles. She'll be here when you get back."

I laugh at Scott's surprised face but wave him away. Melissa closes the door and Lydia locks it. We started baking after that.

 


	26. A Day At Home With A Sister

I woke up to someone shaking my shoulder. 

"Five more minutes Scott," I said with a slight groan. 

"Not your boyfriend," Lydia's voice says. "But I am your best friend."

I turn over and stretch. "Hey. Schools closed today. Board meetings all morning. Why'd you wake me?"

"You haven't told me anything about what happened after you and Scott left."

I blush and she jumps up and practically body slams me. 

"Ow! Lydia, that hurt!"

"Did it hurt the other night? When you got  _closer_  to Scott?"

"In the beginning, but he was thoughtful and sweet. He stopped if it seemed like I was in pain. He wouldn't move again until he knew I was comfortable. It was slow but absolutely perfect. I wish I'd been ready sooner."

"I can't believe how lucky we are. We both have great guys and we've never been happier."

I nod and see she's still in her pajamas. "It's only 7. Let's sleep some more."

"Great. Move over. Now, I know we're sisters, but I'm still not your boyfriend so don't try anything."

I laugh and she lays under the covers. Our backs toward each other. 

"You're not hanging out with Stiles today?"

She says "He's going to lacrosse practice. Coach is at the meeting so Scott has to run practice. You going to watch him?"

"No, he wants me to rest today. I guess because he has practice. All I know is that I'm gonna spend as much time in this bed as I have."

"You're going to stay in bed without Scott? Is that even possible still? I'm pretty sure you two have been sharing a bed since his custody battle ended."

I chuckle and says "It's not as comfortable but it's still possible."

"Have you two decided on what's gonna happen over the summer?"

"What do you mean?"

"Melissa and he take a trip to a cabin three towns over. Your parents mentioned you all might take a trip to France."

"Oh, that, right. We talked it over and we're gonna call each other every night over Skype. It'll be so hard to be away from him."

"He's coming over tonight, right? Am I gonna have to take Stiles and disappear, because I don't wanna interrupt your  _alone_ time with Scott."

"It's not like that. We're just gonna be sleeping."

"Alright, if you say so."

I roll my eyes and turn so I'm laying on my back. "What about you and Stiles? Any summer plans?"

"He's staying here and I'll probably end up in the cabin near Scott and Melissa's. My mom and I usually go to get away from the drama with my dad and school."  She turns and says "You should join us. If you know you don't go to France."

"I'd like that Lydia. Thanks. I'll definitely consider it."

"Good. I think it would be a lot of fun. It'd be our first summer vacation together." She turns to face me with a slight grin. "Plus, it'll be your first summer vacation with Scott. You two would probably be together most of the time."

"Not true. I need girl time too."

"Good. What do you think the guys are up to right now?"

"Don't know. What do you wanna do today? We don't have the guys around."

"Let's watch movies in bed. It'll be just like a sleepover."

"Anything but The Notebook." Her shocked face made me laugh. "Lyds, we've watched it twenty times just this week. You need a new movie."

"The Notebook is more than a movie! It is a masterpiece! A form of art. A peace of romance history. So I refuse to replace it. It's a part of my soul."

I laugh and say "You can't be serious." I stop when she glares at me. "Oh, you are. Wow, Lyds, I love you but I'll die if I watch it again. Can't we at least space out the times we watch it? Three times a night, every night is too much. The director of that movie can't even watch it that many times and he created the thing."

She huffs and says "Fine, we'll watch one of your boring action movies or something."

"How about we watch A Walk To Remember? Still romance and still a total tear jerker. Just for a change."

Lydia smiled but then shrugs. "I guess that would be ok."

I grab my laptop and we started to watch the movie. The laptop between us as we laid on our sides. When it ended, Stiles had entered my room.

"I had a dream like this once," he said with a slight grin. "Except I was there instead of the laptop and instead of Allison, there was another Lydia. That was a beautiful dream."

Lydia smiles and reaches her hands out for him. He comes closer and kisses her. Lydia moaning and Stiles mounting her made me get out of bed. 

"Alright, I'm leaving. Do not have sex in my bed." I start to leave and when I hear the bedsprings squeak, I glance over my shoulder. "I'm serious you two. I will kick your asses if you do anything in  _my_  bed."

Lydia laughs and says "We won't."

"We won't," Stiles asks in a disappointed voice. 

"Not in her room but many in yours. Or the guest room. Unless Allison changes her mind." Lydia waits a second and then says "Have you changed your mind?"

My cell rings and I say "I don't care who you are, but thank you from saving me from this disturbing conversation."

Scott laughs and says "I'm glad I have such great timing. How's my girl doing?"

"Fine. How was practice?"

"Exhausting. I feel like sleeping for the rest of the day. Do you maybe wanna join me? You and me curled up in my cozy bed, my arms wrapped around you, your head on my chest, and me running my fingers through your hair. Does that sound good?"

"That sounds like paradise. But Stiles and Lydia have taken over my bedroom and I don't wanna leave them unsupervised. So what do you think about instead of a cozy bed, a cozy couch?"

"Will I get to hold you?"

"Yeah."

"I'll be there in five minutes."

I bite my lip and say "I'll see you then."

"I love you."

"I love you too." 

After hanging up, I open the door to my room and change into Scott's black t-shirt and a pair of jeans. When I had exited the bathroom, not only had Stiles and Lydia left my room, but the doorbell rang. I rushed door stairs but stopped in front of the door, taking a second to breathe. I open the door to reveal Scott. 

"Hey beautiful."

I kiss him and smile at the sight of him with his eyes closed still. "Hey handsome." 

"Where's Stiles and Lydia? Still holding your bed hostage?"

"No, but I have no idea where they are now."

"It's ok. Living room?"

"Yeah, we can watch a movie if you want. Even a sports movie."

"How about a romantic comedy? That way we both win."

"I think that makes me love you more. Which one?"

"Grease? It's such a great movie."

"Sounds like a plan. You set it up and I'll grab some snacks and drinks."

"Alright." He kisses my forehead and says "I'll just have a water."

"Ok."

Scott and I were curled up on the couch when my parents got home. Stiles and Lydia were asleep on her bed. 

"You two have fun today," mom asked with a sweet smile. 

I nod and say "Yeah, we just finished watching Grease."

Dad smiles and says "I'm glad you two had fun. Scott, what do you say about playing a few hands with me?"

Scott chuckles and says "Only if Allison gets to sit by me this game. You're gonna lose either way."

"We'll see about that," dad said with a smile. "Now get over here."

 

 


	27. Defying Court Orders

I was packing for first period at my locker when Scott walked over. 

"Hey," he said. 

"Hey." When I looked at him, there was just something different in his eyes. The sparkle was gone. "What's wrong?"

"You know me so well." He rests his temple against the locker beside mine and sighs. "My dad stopped by my house after I left your place."

"Scott, he can't do that. Did you call the police?"

"How could I? He had an FBI agent with him. A friend of his from college."

"Did he do anything?"

"No, he just smiled at me. I've never been so happy for my mom to have been working the night shift. If she'd have gotten home," he trails off and shakes his head. "I don't even wanna think about what he'd have done."

I rest my hands on his shoulders. "Everything is gonna be alright. We can go to Mark after school. That's against your restraining other. He can't do that."

"Its not that big of a deal. I can handle my dad. I just don't want him hurting you. If he comes anywhere near you, I want you to come get me immediately. I don't care how early or late it is. I won't let him hurt you, not again."

"I can protect myself."

"I know you can. I'd just prefer if you didn't have to. I'm sorry that I've made him your problem."

"Hey, I love you. We share our problems." I kiss his neck and when I feel him relax I say "So don't worry about it. Just focus on school, lacrosse, and me. In that order."

Scott chuckles and says "Does it  _have_  to be in that order? I have a free period this morning. I wouldn't mind spending that time kissing you."

"I can't. I have a test first period. How about we spend lunch together?"

"Can't. Early practice for the game tonight. After the game?"

I nod and say "That's perfect. I better head to my first period. See you later."

He kisses me before I walk away to French. I was done with the test after ten minutes. It was just a simple translation and for me, it was nothing. I speak French fluently but my mother insists that I take it to keep up with it. She doesn't want me forgetting little things. I turned to the window and looked out at the lacrosse field. Lydia was talking to Scott. The two sitting across from each other and Stiles jogs over to them and Lydia kisses him quickly. Stiles and Scott bump fists and Scott laughs when Stiles starts waving his arms around crazily. I turned away shaking my head. Stiles was hilarious and too full of energy. 

Ms. Morrell left the room to talk with Mr. Harris who had come to complain about the teaching of another language when we "idiots" can barely speak English. The class erupted into conversations and I started tonights homework, not wanting to have to do it at home. 

"Hey beautiful," Scott said from the open window causing me to jump slightly. "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you. Just wanted to visit my girl who I love very much."

I turn to the door and see Harris and Morrell arguing so I stand and go to the window. "I love you too." I kiss him quickly. 

I could hear the girls is class sigh dreamily and the guys were just mumbling something under their breath. I went back to my seat which made Scott pout. Scott glances at the door before climbing into the classroom and standing next to my desk. 

"Come with me to the cabin over the summer. Please."

"I can't. I might be going to France and if not there, Lydia invited me to her cabin. We already spoke about our summer plans."

"I know we already spoke about you possibly going to France for the summer, but now that I think about it, I don't know if I could last without kissing you for that long." He goes on his knees and rests his head on the desk. "I might die from the separation."

"You'll survive. We'll Skype every night."

"I can't kiss a computer screen. Or cuddle with one. Or make it breakfast. I could but it wouldn't be the same. Plus it's not gonna have your adorable nose. Or your beautiful eyes. Or your smile that could light up the whole world. And it won't have your soft and perfect lips."

He leans in to kiss me and I kiss him quickly.

"Mr. McCall," Ms. Morrell says sternly causing us to pull away. "Would you kindly not distract my top student? Go to class."

Scott sighs and says "Sorry Ms. Morrell." He leans forward and says "One more kiss."

I laugh but kiss him quickly again. Scott leans in for another one but Ms. Morrell grabs his ear and leads him out of the room. 

"Goodbye Mr. McCall." She closes the door in his face and Scott pouts through the door window. "Go to class Mr. McCall."

"I have a free," he said through the door. "Can I stay?"

Ms. Morrell sighs and says "Only if you sit as far away from Ms. Argent as possible."

"What if I sit next to her but promise not to talk? Please?"

Ms. Morrell opens the door and Scott puts a chair beside my desk. Turning it so he was sitting with his chest to the back. He was staring at me and Ms. Morrell was frowning. 

"Mr. McCall, distracted students have closed minds. I need students with open minds so they can learn. I don't think this will work."

Scott sighs and says "I'll just sit outside." He kisses my cheek. "I'll walk you to your next class."

I nod and he walks away with a look that made him look like a kicked puppy. He's so much like a puppy.

/

At lunch, Lydia and I ate on the bleachers with a group of other girls who had come to see their boyfriends. 

"What are the plans for Spring Formal?" Erica asked as she made her way over to us. 

Lydia hugs her quickly and says "The Art Club and I are gonna make flowers to hang from the ceiling and all along the walls. Danny's boyfriend is gonna handle pictures."

"What about music?" I asked. 

"Boyd offered to DJ.

Erica nods and says "Yeah, he's not all that crazy about dancing. He's more a stay on the sidelines kinda guy. It'll be perfect."

We watched as Stiles went to shoot at the goal, hitting the crossbar, resulting in the ball bouncing back and hitting Stiles in the stomach. Scott went over to him and a few of the girls were giggling. 

Lydia laughs and says "I'm dating a total dork, but he's mine. He's forcing me to watch Star Wars. All of them. That boy is so lucky that I love him."

Erica grins and says "Speaking of love, have you two done it?"

"Maybe or maybe not. My lips are sealed."

Erica grins and says "Are your legs?"

Lydia laughs and says "Stiles and I took the next step. Are you happy now?"

Erica groans and says "Not really. I'll owe Danny ten bucks. I bet you'd lose it to Scott by now. Danny said you'd meet someone else." Erica turns to me. "What about you? Has Scott rocked your world yet?"

"That's for me to know and for you to wonder."

Erica laughs and says "Alright, I'll just figure it out some other way."

Scott blew me a kiss from the field. I blow him one back and Erica makes a fake gagging sound. I shove her playfully and Lydia blows a kiss to Stiles who makes a show of catching it. 

/

"How's my son doing," Raffaele said as he took a seat beside me in the bleachers. "I'll give him props. He certainly chose a pretty toy."

I glare and say "For a smart man, you sure don't understand the purpose of a restraining order. You'll have five minutes to leave or I'll call the cops and you'll go to prison. The choice is yours but let me remind you that it would be your third strike. Think about it like we're playing baseball. You're up to bat and you've already got two strikes. You're about to get your third. After three strikes, you're out."

"He's my son. He'll regret you eventually. He'll go crawling back to Lydia, begging her to take him back. In fact, he's probably getting bored of you already. I bet he's used you and hasn't tried to touch you since. He's gotten what he wanted from you, now he can go back where he belongs, with Lydia."

I just continue to watch as Scott made his way down the field with the ball. "No, he may be your son, but he is absolutely nothing like you. He loves me and I love him."

Lydia walks over with the snacks she had left to get us. Raffaele stands with open arms and a smile. "Lydia, you look lovely."

"Leave," she shouted. "Now!"

Raffaele shakes his head and says "Sweetie, is that anyway to talk to your future father-in-law? We'll be family one day." He then turns to me. "Unless my son doesn't leave this tramp."

Sheriff Stilinski walks over and pulls out his cuffs. "Raffaele, you're violating the restraining order against you. Put your hands behind your back."

Raffaele laughs and says "Sheriff Stilinski, how's your son doing? Still socially awkward and bound to end up alone?"

"Actually, he's dating me and we're in love," Lydia said. "Now, make all of our lives better and leave."

Raffaele stands and puts his hands behind his back. Sheriff cuffs him and Raffaele turns to me with a grin. 

"Sending me away won't hide the truth. Scott  _will_  get bored of you and he'll dump you so fast, you won't even have the time to blink. He is my son after all. He's got my DNA."

I stand and face him. "Scott and I might not be together forever, but he is not your son. He's Melissa's son. He might have your last name and he might have half your DNA, but he is nothing like you. He's kind, smart, loyal, and he'd never do anything to hurt anyone else. He's a better man than you now when he's only sixteen than you at the age of forty-two now. So you can say whatever you want but it's meaningless because I know your son and I know he loves me. So right now, that's all that matters to me." I go to sit back down but turn back to him. "Oh one more thing."

"What," he said through clenched teeth. 

I knee him in the groin and all the guys that had been watching let out a gasp as if they had felt it themselves. He was on the floor groaning in pain. 

"That's for hurting Scott and Melissa." 

Sheriff Stilinski grins at me and says "You done?"

"Yeah. I'm done."

He pulls Raffaele to his feet and says "Let's go Raffaele, you'll be staying in a nice cozy cell from now on."

The crowd erupted into cheers as Scott scored the winning goal before running off the field and lifting me after the ground and kissing me. He was sweaty and kinda stunk, but I didn't care. I love him all the same and now he has one less thing to worry about. 

"Saw you knee my father." He smirks and bites his bottom lip. "Is it sad that I found it totally hot?"

Lydia then says "Nope, because I thought it was hot too."

I laugh and pull them both into a hug. Stiles joined in quickly. 

"Can we go watch Star Wars now Lydia?" Stiles asked. 

We all laughed before Lydia nod with a sigh making Stiles jump up and punch the air. 


	28. Calm Morning

I woke up with arms wrapped around my waist. I turn to face Scott and smile when I notice that he's still asleep. It was only four in the morning, plenty more time for sleep, especially on a Saturday.

"Go back to sleep," Scott grumbled. 

I laugh and say "I will."

He kisses my cheek and rubs our noses together. "Love you."

"Love you too." I bury my face into his bare chest and his arms tighten around me. "Night."

"Night," he said with a chuckle. "Sweet dreams beautiful."

/

When I woke up, it was nine and Scott was nowhere to be found. I was hugging a pillow. I sit up against the headboard and stretch. Scott came in with a tray of food. 

"Morning sleepyhead," he said. "You sleep ok?"

"Yeah. I was cuddling a pillow when I woke up though."

"Sorry about that. I didn't want to wake you and you were holding me pretty tight so I replaced me with the pillow and you were fine. Hurts that I can be so easily replaced."

I sit up on my knees and kiss him. "Nothing and no one can replace you."

Scott puts out Mr. Bear from under my bed. "Not even Mr. Bear?"

"Scott, put him down."

Scott holds him out of my reach. "Not until you say you love me more than him."

"Nope, I can't. Mr. Bear has been with me through every cold, every fever, every tear, and he even came to my first day of school with me. We have too much history."

"Tell me that you love me more."

"Nope. He's the only thing that can replace you."

"I don't believe that. So if you had to choose between me or the bear, you'd choose the stuffed animal?"

"He is  _not_  a stuffed animal. He's family."

Scott laughs and says "And what am I?"

"You're my boyfriend." 

"But not family?"

I kiss his cheek and say "Not yet." I take Mr. Bear away from him. "But if you hold Mr. Bear hostage again, you'll never be."

He laughs and says "Fine, your bear is safe." He starts to tickle me and I fall back against the bed laughing. "You on the other hand are in so much trouble."

Mr. Bear fell to the floor and Scott only stopped tickling me when Lydia stormed in. 

"Will you two be quiet?! I am trying to get my nine hours of beauty sleep. I can't do that with Allison laughing."

Scott stands and says "Oh come on Lyds, its not like you need it." Lydia smiles and Scott shrugs. "I have a beautiful best friend and a gorgeous girlfriend. I'm so lucky. Two out of three of my favorite girls with me right now."

Lydia then says "Who's your favorite?"

He walks in front of me and leans in to kiss me, but stops and says "My mom."

Lydia laughs and says "Mama's boy."

"And proud of it," he says. 

Lydia sits on my bed and ends up starting to eat the breakfast Scott made me. "Mhmm, this is delicious. I was starving."

I laugh and say "Save me some."

Scott kisses me and says "I'll make you more."

Kate walks in and says "Morning you three. How's everything going? Who made breakfast?"

"Scott," Lydia and I said.

Kate smiles and says "How about making for the rest of us and we'll all eat in the dining room."

He shrugs and says "I don't mind. I'll go start." He kisses my forehead and high fives Lydia before leaving. 

Kate walks toward us and sits in my computer chair. "So, you two are getting real cozy."

Lydia smiles and says "We're practically sisters. Its great. I've always wanted a sister."

"Not you two. Them two. Scott and Allison." Kate leans forward and smirks. "Is there something you wanna tell your dear Aunt Kate?"

I bite my bottom lip with a nervous smile. "I might no longer be a virgin."

Kate jumps up and tackles me in a hug. "My little niece is all grown up." She turns to Lydia. "What about you adoptive niece?"

"Stiles and I did the deed a little while before them." 

Kate pulls us both into a bone crushing hug. After a little while, we all went downstairs to see that Scott had set the table and everything. My mom was in the kitchen with him and my dad. Dad walked out first with a laugh. Mom followed after with a bowl of scrambled eggs as Scott carried a tray of bacon. 

"Morning sweetheart." My dad says from his seat at the head of the table. He purses his lips together into a knowing smile. "I asked Scott how sleeping on the floor was and he said it was pretty comfortable. I find that very hard to believe. Especially since when Kate said she saw him laying next to you before she went to bed at two."

I blush and Scott looked like he expected my dad to point a gun at him. My dad didn't take his hands away from the table so I figured it was safe. 

"Its fine this time, but the next time he doesn't want to sleep on the floor, we can set up the other guest room for him."

Scott then says "Thank you Mr. Argent. I'll remember that for next time."

Mom then says "You're welcome over anytime Scott."

"I like the sound of that. My boyfriend being allowed to visit anytime is like a dream come true."

Scott kisses my cheek and says "I love you."

Dad chokes on his orange juice and mom was gently patting his back. "Love. Thats...thats a big word. Are you sure you two are ready for that word?"

Kate rolls her eyes and says "Oh Chris, they love each other. Allison was bound to fall in love sooner or later. At least its with a boy that you approve of. Could be worse. She could of fallen for a college drop out who's covered from head to toe in tattoos and is called Skully or Bones."

I laugh at how ridiculous Kate was but the look of unhappiness on my parents faces made it so much better. Scott took my hand under the table and I look at him with the biggest smile. I'm so lucky to have met him and fallen for him. 

"I love you," I say before kissing him quickly.

Scott smiles and says "More than Mr. Bear?"

"Yeah, but lets keep that between us. I wanna let him down easy."

 


	29. Nightmares and Late Night Talks

I was sitting with Lydia in her guest room and she was painting her nails.

"How's Stiles?"

"He's great. Scott?"

"He's been having trouble sleeping. He won't tell me what the nightmares are about."

"But he hasn't been over in like three days. You two are usually attached at the hip. Did you two have a fight or something?"

"No, it's just since his nightmares started, he'd wake up with me and he'd be freaking out a little. It's almost like I make the nightmares worse. I'm worried about him."

"I can talk to him if you'd like. See what's going on in that brain of his."

I nod and say "Please. I just wanna help him."

"I'll talk to him at school. I'll tell him that you're worried and that he should talk to you."

"Thanks Lyds. I'm probably just overreacting."

"You love him, you have the right to be worried even if there's no need to."

/

That night there was a thunderstorm. Lydia ended up staying at Stiles', not wanting to drive in the bad weather. Aunt Kate was working late and my parents were staying in a hotel near the restaurant they had gone to. I was left alone at home and although it was kinda creepy, staying in my room and watching movies helped. The rain set the perfect mood for a night at home. 

Literally considering how hard it was raining outside. The news advised people to stay home and to avoid going out since the roads would be slippery. I had just finished watching Clueless when there was a knock at my bedroom window. I moved my curtains to see Scott drenched and sitting on my roof, the rain coming down on him. 

"Scott you're drenched," I said when I opened the window. "Get inside. You're gonna get sick. Do you have any idea how dangerous this is? Did you drive? Walk? I'm gonna say you walked judging by how you're soaked from head to toe. The streets are all slippery. You could've been hurt."

He had climbed inside and I grabbed towels and a pair of black basketball shorts that he had left from the last time he stayed over. 

"Lydia said you were worried and that I should talk to you. I wasn't gonna let a drizzle interfere with that."

"That is not a drizzle Scott. That is a storm. The storm that's left me home all alone because people were advised to stay off the roads and streets. Scott, you could've called me instead of going out in this storm."

He shakes his head, water flying out in different directions. "No, I wanted to tell you in person." He stood in front of me in only the shorts. "Did you not want to see me? Do you hate me?"

"Scott, how could you even think that? I love you. Of course I want to see you, I just don't want you putting yourself in danger all to come visit me."

"It'd be worth it. Do you know why it'd be worth it? Because I love you. I love you more than anything in this world."

I step toward him and say "So why haven't you been over? Did I do something wrong?"

"No. Of course not. Allison, you're perfect. I'm the problem."

"What are you talking about Scott?"

"My nightmares. They're not of my dad. They're of us. Me hurting you like my dad had hurt my mom. Each dream just gets more realistic. That's why I've freaked out when you were next to me. Seeing you hurt and me being the one that did that, scares me. Having you so close scared me even more because it would give me the opportunity to do that to you. You don't even know how much I've hated being away from you, but I'd rather stay away than risk turning into Raffaele. I want you to be safe."

I cup his cheeks and lean my forehead against his. "Scott, you'd never hurt me. You'd sooner hurt yourself than hurt me. I know that I'll always be safe with you. I love you and the nightmares aren't real. It's just your fears taking form in your most recent memory before bed which just so happens to be me." I kiss the tip of his nose. "You are the best guy I know. You'd never hurt anyone unless you were defending yourself or someone else."

"How can you be so sure that I won't be like him?"

"You're petrified of being like him and spent three days avoiding me. You couldn't be like him, you're too noble and kind." 

He kisses me sweetly and then rubs our noses together. "Thank you. I needed to hear that."

"You know what I need?"

Scott shakes his head and says "What?"

"I need you. I need my boyfriend. I need you to spend the night. Just to hold me. I've missed you."

"I'm sorry. I was being an idiot. Of course I'll stay."

I pull him towards the bed and he lays down parallel to me. 

"Holding me means you have your arms around me."

Scott takes in a shaky breath and slowly wraps an arm around me so that I was on my side facing him and he was the same. Our noses were touching and his forehead was pressed against mine. I pull myself closer to him and it was so nice to have him back. 

"I've missed this," he said in a whisper. "I can't sleep without you but I can't sleep with you either."

"You're about to. You're not leaving."

He nods and says "I don't want to."

"Good, because you don't really have a choice."

He takes a deep breath and says "I love you so much. I'm sorry for how stupid I've been acting. Think you can ever forgive me?"

"Of course I can."

He kisses my forehead and I feel his breathing slow. He was asleep and he was relaxed. He looked so peaceful that I didn't want to go to sleep because I wouldn't see his face anymore. Before moving here, I could only ever dream about falling in love with a great guy. Now that its happened, I never wanna lose that.

/

I woke up to Scott sitting up in bed, head in his hands. I sit up on my knees and wrap my arms around him from behind, resting my chin over his shoulder. 

"Hey, I'm safe. You'd never hurt me. Just relax and go back to sleep."

He looks at me and says "I don't think I can."

"Sure you can." I move so I'm facing him and smile gently. "You just have to take your mind off that terrible nightmare."

"How am I supposed to do that?"

I kiss him slowly and he melts into it in a matter of seconds. I straddle his hips without breaking the kiss, both of us still sitting up. I slowly leaned forward till his back had hit the mattress. I was straddling him and when I pulled away, he looked blissful. His eyes were half open and half closed. His lips were slightly agape. I smile down at him. 

"You look like you just woke up from a sex dream."

He flips us over so he was on top. "Who said its a dream?" He was grinning down at me before he slowly started to take off my shirt. 

The storm was still raging outside. Scott had stopped lifting my shirt half way. He instead started to kiss from the top of my shorts to where the shirt reached which was just below my bra. That simply wouldn't do. I flipped us over and took off my top before launching into a passionate kiss. I was so happy that no one was home to hear our moans or the banging of the headboard against the wall. All and all, it was great. Scott slept the rest of the night and when I woke up, Scott wasn't shaking or moving away from me. He was staring down at me lovingly and running his fingers gently through my hair. The storm had even stopped and birds were chirping outside my window.

 


	30. Morning Surprises

"Did you sleep well?" Scott asked as he leaned closer to kiss my forehead. 

I was laying on my stomach, arms stretched under my pillow and my face turned towards him. The sunlight through the window made Scott seem like his skin had an angelic glow. 

"I slept great. You?"

"Nightmare free. You gave me something else to think about." He shifts closer and strokes my back gently. "You're so beautiful. I don't know how I got so lucky."

His fingers gently gliding down my naked back made a shiver run through my body. Scott seemed lost in thought as he continued to stroke my back. 

"Penny for your thoughts," I ask as I turn on my side, pulling the sheets close to my chest. 

Scott shrugs and says "Just thinking about the last few days. I don't know how I was able to stay away. I can't resist you. You breathe and have my attention. Fighting the urges to kiss you in the hall, to hug you after lacrosse practice, and to fall asleep with you in my arms has been killing me on the inside and I was too dumb to realize it."

I gently grab the back of his neck and pull him closer to me. I kiss him gently, just relishing in the fact that he's mine and he loves me as much as I love him. I pulled away after a minute to stroke his cheek. 

"You're not dumb, you just let your fear get the better of you. It doesn't make me love you any less."

Scott hovers over me and kisses me again. "I seriously can't believe how lucky I am. Can you imagine what our lives would be like if we hadn't of kissed in English? I'd probably still be pretending that I don't have a crush on you."

"And I'd probably be trying to hide my feelings from Lydia." 

"I'm gonna have to give Ms. Blake flowers for that. I'm so happy she combined our class with the drama class that day."

"Me too."

"What time will your parents be home?"

"I'm not sure. We should probably get dressed just in case they come check on me."

He shakes his head and starts to kiss my neck. He was making his way down to my collarbone when he stopped and jumped to my stomach, peppering kisses all over before kissing the insides of both my thighs. I felt like I was floating and I was gasping for breath. He stopped and grinned at me. 

"Let's get dressed." He stands from the bed and I sit up, gripping the sheets to my chest. He gathers his clothes and I was just staring at him with my mouth agape. "What?" He asked it in such an innocent voice. 

"You can't do that. You can't get me all worked up and then leave me like that. That's...that's just evil and cruel."

Scott chuckled and pulls on his jeans which had dried and a white t-shirt. "Have I told you how much I love you?"

I shake my head. "No and I don't wanna hear it. You are a cruel and evil boyfriend."

"Aw, don't be like that." 

"No, you're evil and cruel."

He leans over me and puts his hands around my wrists, pushing them to the mattress as he climbs on top of me. The sheets had fallen on my chest, still covering me perfectly. He lets go of my wrists so he can take his shirt off, tossing it onto the floor. He dives into a kiss and I return it with so much passion. My hands reach for the button of his jeans but my bedroom door opened. 

"Allison, I wanted to know if you'd," but she stopped. 

I gripped the sheets to my chest as Aunt Kate now had turned her back to us. I felt the heat rushing to my cheeks and Scott was putting his shirt back on as well as passing me my clothes.

"I just wanted to know if you'd like something for breakfast but I can see that food was the last thing on your mind." She chuckles and waves before leaving. "Have fun you two. Be safe." She closed the door behind her. 

"Oh my god. I can't believe that just happened."

Scott laughs and says "I'm just relieved that it was Kate and not your parents. That would've been really bad."

I shudder at the thought. "We should get dressed."

Scott already had his shirt back on. "I'll go make breakfast. Bacon and scrabbled eggs ok?"

"It's perfect." 

I kiss his cheek before he walks out the door. That was certainly an interesting way to start the day. 


	31. Family Dinner

"Allison," my mom shouted from downstairs. "It's almost time to go. Are you ready?"

"Just putting on lipgloss," I shouted back. I look at my reflection. A simple yet elegant black dress that flowed to my knees. My hair was half up and half down. After closing the cap on my lipgloss, I smile. "Perfect."

I jog down the stairs and find dad in a suit, mom in a modest purple dress, and of course Kate was in a strapless red dress. 

"How do I look," I asked. 

Dad smiles and says "You look so beautiful that Scott might not remember how to talk."

"That's what I'm aiming for."

Dad and mom walk out the door and Kate loops her arm with mine.

"I don't think he'll be able to keep his hands off you. You wouldn't mind that though, would you now?" I blush and Kate laughs. "Oh relax kiddo, you're young and in love. It's normal. Your parents won't hear anything from me about last week."

Lydia came out of her room and says "What happened last week?"

"I walked in on them about to do it," Kate said. 

Lydia laughs and says "Just be thankful it wasn't your parents. Especially your dad. Forgot the fact that it'd be embarrassing, it'd be condemning Scott to death."

"Where are you headed?" I asked when I noticed her carry on.

"Oh, Erica and I are having a girls night. We haven't really hung out as much as we did before you moved to town. It'll be nice to have some one on one time with her."

I nod and say "Have fun."

"You too. I'll see you tomorrow after court. Sleeping at Erica's tonight."

"Good. You two deserve some time to yourselves. The custody battle and I have been taking up all your time. You need some fun with an old friend."

/

Outside the restaurant, Melissa sat on a bench in a fancy black dress with a mini jacket over it. Scott wore a red button down shirt, dress pants, and a black tie as well as a black suit jacket. He looked so handsome. When he looked at me, he stood slowly from the bench and seemed frozen in place. 

"Wow," he said after we got closer. "You look...wow."

I smile and kiss him quickly. "You don't look too bad yourself."

"You two are just adorable," Melissa said. "Our table is ready inside. Shall we go eat?"

Kate nods and says "I'm starved."

Scott takes my hand and we walk into the restaurant following our parents. It was lovely inside. The lighting was low, classical music humming gently through the speakers, and good spacing between tables. Scott pulls out my chair before taking the seat beside me. 

"Such a gentleman."

Scott kisses my cheek and smiles. I'd gotten the grilled chicken and Scott had gotten spaghetti. We shared as our parents talked about random things. Towards the end of dinner, the conversation about the weather was too boring for me to handle. I decided to have a little fun. 

"So Scott," Kate asked softly. "How was the final lacrosse game?"

Scott smiles and says "We won the championships. State champs two years running."

They dove into lacrosse talk and I used that as my opportunity. I put one hand under the table and rested it on Scott's knee, his leg jumping slightly. 

Melissa smiles and says "Allison went to all his games. Even kept me company for the ones I could make it to. You have such a sweet daughter."

I slide my hand up bit by bit and Scott had his hand clenched in a fist pressed against his lips by the time I reached the middle of his thigh. 

Kate smiles and says "That's my niece. Sweet like sugar." She leans back in her chair and glances down at my arm with a small smirk when she noticed Scott's tense posture. "Scott, can you pass me the basket of bread?"

Scott slowly removed the one hand from his mouth and used both his hands to pass the basket to Kate, having to lean forward slightly causing my hand to skim across the front of his pants. He was undeniably hard and it only made me bite my lower lip to keep from grinning. 

"You alright there Scott," Kate asks with an innocent smile. "You seem kinda tense."

"I'm fine. My foot fell asleep."

Melissa then says "You should take a walk to wake it up."

"I'll go with you," I say sweetly. 

Scott buttons his suit jacket before getting up. He announced that he was cold but I knew it was just to hide his boner. When we got outside, I stopped containing my laughter. 

"It's not funny. Your parents, your aunt, and my mom are right there."

"Oh come on, it's a little funny."

Scott shakes his head and says "Me having a hard on during dinner with our families is not funny."

I grab his suit jacket gently and tug him closer to me so I was leaning against the wall. I kiss him softly and he kissed back after a few seconds, trying to resist but failing. It was cute that he even tried.

"You can't stay mad at me. You love me too much," I mutter against his lips. 

He groans and says "You're killing me."

I bite his lower lip gently and Scott actually jumps back from me. 

"You're making this harder on me." I laugh and he pinches the bridge of his nose. "That didn't come out right."

"I think it's pretty accurate."

Kate walks out and grins at Scott. "Having a hard time dealing with my niece?"

"I'm going back inside and swapping seats with my mom."

"Oh come on, don't be like that. I was just having some fun. I was getting bored."

Scott glances down at his groin and says "So possibly getting me in trouble with your parents is better than being bored?"

"Ok, saying it like that makes it seem really bad but it was just innocent fun."

Kate gestures to the door. "I'm gonna let you two handle this on your own." She made a quick exit. 

"Your dad would kill me if he thought we were together in that sort of way. I'd rather him not figure that out."

I grab his shoulders and rest my forehead against his. "You're right. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. I could've just taken you out here to make out or even just started a conversation of our own. I'm sorry."

"No, I'm sorry. I overreacted. It was just innocent fun. I shouldn't have reacted the way I did."

"Are you still gonna change your seat?"

"Oh totally. I need this to go away and sitting next to you won't do that. Sitting next to your dad will scare the arousal out of me."

I sigh and say "Great, now I'll be bored and away from you."

"We'll see each other all day tomorrow. We have school."

I smile and say "Or we could skip and spend the day together at your house. We could make out and watch movies and have sex and make out again and then maybe have sex again."

"You're really trying to get me killed."

"Oh come on. It'll be fun. It'll only be my second time skipping. Think of it as me making up for lost fun with my favorite guy."

Scott nods and says "You don't have to do any convincing. I'd never pass up the opportunity to spend time with you."

"So your house or mine?"

"Mine. Mom's working the late shift so she'll be gone till the next morning but we'll already be in school by then."

"Great."

We head back inside and true to his word, Scott did sit next to my dad all throughout dessert. When we left the restaurant, Scott's hard on had disappeared.

"Next dinner, you two can join us at our house," mom said with a soft smile as she hugged Melissa quickly.

"That sounds lovely," Melissa answered in reply. "We'll have to find a day for it."

/

The next day, after my parents had left after breakfast, Kate called the school and told them I'd be out sick. 

"Thanks for doing that Kate."

"Sure thing kiddo. It's nice to see you enjoying your youth. Following  _all_  the rules can be super boring. Breaking a few won't do too much harm. Go have fun with your boyfriend."

I smile and jog out the door, driving to Scott's house. When I pulled into the driveway, my phone rang. Scott's smiling picture appeared and I answer right away.

"Hey, I'm right outside."

"Great. I'll come downstairs or you could use your key."

"I don't have a key."

"Reach above the threshold and your key will be there."

I walk up to the door and grab the silver key with a heart drawn on it. "You made me a key to your house?" I unlocked the door and Scott stood in front of me so I hung up. 

"Yeah, so you can come over whenever you want. My mom and I discussed it before the dinner and I was gonna give it to you then, but the whole hard on and planning next dinner kinda interfered. I decided to give it to you today."

I smile and say "Isn't that a serious step? Do you think we're moving too fast?"

"If you think we are we can slow down. It doesn't matter to me, you know that. I just want to be with you."

"No, I don't want to slow down. It's just, do you really think we're ready for me to have a key to your house?"

"I think we are. Only two other people have a key besides my mom and me. Lydia got one when we were twelve and her parents were in the middle of the divorce and Stiles made one for himself. Needs it for emergencies. I want you to have a key, but only if you're comfortable with it."

I smile and put the key on my keychain. "Be expecting me to stop by for cuddling and make out sessions."

He loops his fingers through the hoops of my jeans and tugs me closer to him. "I should've given you a key sooner."

I lean forward for a kiss but Scott dodges and pins me to the wall with his hips as he turns us around so that my back was pressed to the wall. He started to kiss down my neck and it was so hard to keep from moaning. Scott shifted his hips so that his groin came into contact with my own for a quick second. 

"Scott," I moaned with my eyes closed and in the next second, he was gone. I opened my eyes and Scott was leaning against the opposite wall, grinning. "What are you doing?"

"Just a little revenge for last night. Not so fun when you're the turned on one, now is it?"

I groan and say "That's not fair."

"Oh, it's totally fair. Especially since I don't plan on making you suffer too much." He walks toward me slowly and kneels down so he reached my stomach. He slowly lifts my shirt, kissing up slowly till my shirt was completely off. "Upstairs?"

I nod and grab his hand, pulling him upstairs to his room. He opens the door and I shove him onto the bed before mounting him. He tosses my shirt into the corner and kisses me. I take his shirt off after a few minutes of making out.

"Allison," Scott moans as I kiss down his chest. 

The phone rang and Scott started to get up but I press my palm into his chest. "Don't even think of answering that."

"Lydia cell," the robotic voice said. "Lydia cell."

Scott grabs the phone. "She has court today. I said I'd go if Stiles couldn't make it. She said she'd call to tell me." He kisses me quickly before standing from the bed and answering the home phone. "Hey Lyds."

I flip onto my back and watch Scott pace back and forth at the foot of the bed. He runs his hand through his hair and it causes his muscles to flex. I prop myself up onto my forearms and Scott shoots me a sheepish smile. I grab my shirt and throw it on before tossing Scott his shirt. He hangs up and puts his shirt back on quickly. 

"I'm sorry," he said kissing my forehead. "She needs us though. She called me because she knows we were together. I'll make it up to you, I promise."

I nod and start to walk downstairs. "I'm gonna hold you to that."

He holds out a helmet to me. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Good, because I'm gonna be putting my new key to good use."

Scott kisses my cheek and says "Sounds good to me. Really, really good."

I smile and say "Come on, if we don't leave now, I'll drag you to the couch and just have my way with you and Lydia won't have anyone to support her."

"I don't know. That first part sounded amazing."

My cell buzzes and I look at the text from Lydia.

_To Allison_

_From Lydia_

_Stiles made it. You and Scott don't have to come. See you tonight._

I show Scott the text and he tosses the helmet onto the couch before lifting me and carrying me upstairs. It was a really, really great night, but I think my favorite part was when Scott and I were cuddling in bed, him in a pair of boxers and me in black panties and his t-shirt, watching Can't Hardly Wait. It makes me feel safe and for the first time, I truly felt like I was safe. Sure, I can take care of myself and I'm proud of that. Scott wanting to protect me doesn't mean he thinks I'm weak, it just means he wants me to know that I can lean on him, that I don't always have to be strong. Here, in his arms, I feel like I'm invincible.


	32. The Verdict

The house phone ringing woke Scott and I from our sleep. I had Scott spooning me from behind and he reaches over me to grab the phone. 

"Hello," he said sleepily. He sits up slowly. "Yeah, I'm done with all my homework. I'm fine. Alright, have a good shift. Don't forget to eat. Ok. Love you. Bye." He puts the phone down again. 

"What time is it," I said I turned onto my back. 

"5:23. What time do you have to be home?"

"Eleven." I smile at him. "What are you doing after school tomorrow?"

"I'm actually gonna be hanging out with Stiles. What about Wednesday after school?"

"Shopping with Lydia. She needs the retail therapy."

"Alright. There's a party Thursday night. Be my date?"

"I'd love to."

"It'd be our first party as a couple."

I smile and say "I know."

He leans down and kisses me again. "I love you so much. I didn't even know it was possible to love someone so much."

"I love you too." I pin him to the bed and grin down at him. "Want me to show you?"

We started to kiss and his room door swung open and Lydia screams before the door closes again. I bury my face into Scott's shoulder as we both try to contain our laughter. 

"Haven't you two ever heard of putting a sock or something on the doorknob?! I'm scarred for life."

"Ever heard of knocking," Scott called back in response. 

"Don't you two read your text messages?! I said I was coming over to tell you two something so to be dressed! Its because you two always have it on vibrate!"

"Is it something important," I asked.

"Yes! Very important!"

Scott and I had started to get dressed and after we were, we opened the room door and Lydia walked in, avoiding the rumpled bed and sitting in the computer chair. She had a disgusted look and looked down at her nails rather than our faces. 

"You two are terrible friends for ignoring your phones and scarring me."

Scott laughs and says "What's the important news you had to tell us?"

"My child service officer says that the judge will decide who wins the custody battle tomorrow. I need you both there. I'll have Stiles but I need my sister and my best friend with me."

I smile and hug her tightly. "Of course. We wouldn't miss it for the world."

"Yeah," Scott says before wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "We've got your back Lyds."

"I don't know how I feel about that considering I just caught you two."

"You love us," I said. "So, you nervous?"

"I'm petrified," she says weakly. "I'm not scared about leaving or anything because my dad got a house near here. I'm just scared that I'm gonna be just a trophy to whoever wins. Kinda like them saying that whoever loses is below them. I don't wanna be a trophy to them, I wanna be their daughter. Does that make any sense?"

Scott nods beside me and says "I know Lyds. I got lucky. My mom wants what's best for me and she pushes me to be my best. My dad wants me to be like him and be carefree. That's not how life is though. I'm who I am today because of my mom." He pulls out a picture of Lydia, him, and Melissa from when they were younger. "No matter who wins tomorrow, you're like a daughter to my mom, not a trophy. You're free to borrow her whenever you'd like."

"That means a lot to me," Lydia said slightly choked up as tears slowly rolled down her cheeks. "It really does."

"Oh Lyds. Come here," I said with open arms. She hugs me tightly and I gently stroke her back. "Everything's gonna be ok. You have three families that see you as a daughter. You have mine, Scott's, and Stiles'."

"I'm considered part of your family," she asked with a sniffle.

"Kate refers to you as her adoptive niece. I'm pretty sure we're all gonna be lost when you move out."

She pulls away from our hug and smiles. "You're the best sister a person could ask for." She wipes her tears and puts on her confident face. "Which is why I'm gonna return the favor and let you two resume what I interrupted."

"Or you could stay for the Notebook," I said sweetly. 

"Really?" She turns to Scott. "You won't mind?"

"Not at all. I need a shower anyway." He kisses my cheek with a smile. "You wore me out earlier."

I shrug. "I can't help it. You're just so irresistible."

"I think I'm gonna hurl," Lydia said. 

"Oh you're fine. Let's go set up the movie."

Scott grabs some clothes and starts to head towards the bathroom. "I'll meet you two downstairs."

"Ok," I say before giving him a quick kiss.

/

"You alright," I ask Lydia when we're downstairs after the movie. 

She nods. "It just...it hurts. I know they love me but they love outdoing the other more. I don't know how I'd have made it through this if it wasn't for you, Stiles, and Scott."

"You'll always have us Lyds."

"I'm especially glad to have you but even more so Stiles. It's so nice to have someone love me as much I love them. He smiles and I feel like nothing can ruin my day as long as I continue to see him smile. I know it's sounds ridiculous but it's true."

I smile and say "I know exactly how you feel. Scott smiles in my direction in the hall and I feel like I could take on the world. When he's holding me in his arms, I feel like nothing can hurt me because it feels so right to be there."

She smiles and says "When Stiles and I are taking a nap together, he talks in his sleep sometimes. He rambles about being Batman and needing to get a new bat-signal. It's so cute and it makes me forget about all the bad in my life."

"Our boyfriends are the best."

"I'm glad you realize that," Scott whispers in my ear. He jumps over the couch to sit beside me so that I was between him and Lydia. "Stiles and I are pretty awesome."

Lydia then says "Stiles says that you'd be Superman or Captain America if you were a superhero. He can't decide but I think Superman because even though you can't fly, you run as fast as you can to help a friend."

"I think Captain America because you're ready to defend anyone, even if they've been rude to you in the past."

Scott smiles and says "I like them both."

Lydia's phone buzzes and she smiles. "It's my Batman. I'll see you two tomorrow."

/

The next day, Lydia was pacing in the hallway of the courtroom when I walked in with my dad, mom, and Aunt Kate. Scott and Stiles were leaning against the wall beside her. Scott kisses me quickly when he gets close enough.

"Thank god you're here," she said. "I thought I'd only have the guys."

Stiles then says "What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing honey, but sometimes a girl just needs the support of her sister."

"So I'm less important than Allison?"

Scott puts his hand on Stiles' shoulder. "Just let it go man."

Dad says "How about we all go into that courtroom and support Lydia?"

She smiles and says "Thanks Mr. Argent. I really appreciate you all coming. It means the world to me."

"Of course dear," mom says. "You're part of the family."

Lydia smiles at me and I pull her into a side hug before we walk in.

After a good hour of both Lydia's mother and Lydia's father making a final statement of why she should live with them, the judge silenced the court. 

"Lydia," he said. "You're old enough to understand what this is. You're also the closest one to the situation. So take the stand and tell me how you feel about this situation."

Lydia sits on the stand and the judge makes a gesture for her to start. 

"I'm...I'm hurt."

"Why?"

"My parents love me, I'm sure they do deep down, but they love out doing the other more. I'm just a pawn in their chess game. I love them and I want to live with either of them, but I wanna be their daughter when I do. I don't wanna be a weapon against the other."

The judge nods and called a recess to make his decision. Lydia was hugging me and my parents had joined in. 

"You were so brave Lydia," I said. "Your parents looked ashamed of themselves. This'll change things for you guys."

Lydia smiles sadly and says "I hope for the better. No matter who they put me with, I am gonna miss living at the Argent house."

Dad smiles and says "You're always welcomed over."

After another ten minutes, the judge came back. 

"I've decided that Mr. and Ms. Martin will attend counseling with their daughter once a week and until the councilor reports an improvement in the relationship, she shall remain with a child service officer."

Lydia looks over at Becky and Becky nods with a sweet smile. Mom stands and shakes her head. 

"We'll take over as her guardians until then. She's been staying with us throughout this whole ordeal. I see no point in making her change again," my mom said. 

The judge nods and says "Lydia, what do you think?"

Lydia smiles and says "I'd love that."

"So be it. Court dismissed."

Lydia and I hugged tightly with the guys joining in quickly. She hugs my parents tightly and I noticed Ms. Martin nodding her head with a sad expression. I guess she was feeling regret for not having paid more attention to Lydia. All I know is that Lydia will be staying with us for a little longer and I couldn't be happier.

 


	33. Sleepover

"Are you sure you all are alright with this," Lydia asked at the dinner table. "Erica wouldn't mind having the sleepover at her house. I don't wanna interfere on family time."

Dad waves it off. "No, please, you're family. You can have friends over whenever you want."

"I'll just go to Scott's for the night, he and Melissa are watching movies," I said with shrug and a smile.

"No," Lydia practically shouted. "You have to stay for the sleepover."

"But your annual sleepover is only you and Erica. I don't wanna break tradition."

"You won't be. You'll be making a new one."

I smile and say "I've never had a sleepover before."

The doorbell rings and mom walks in with Erica who had a carry on slung over her shoulder. 

"Hello Mr and Mrs. Argent," she said with a sweet smile. "Hey Allison, you gonna stay?"

"If you don't mind. I know it's been you and Lydia's thing since you were six."

"Well, now it can be our thing that all three of us do."

Lydia smirks and says "See. Now go get in your pjs."

Dad laughs and says "Your mother and I will go out to dinner before going to a hotel so you girls can have the house. Kate will be here to watch over you girls in case of an emergency."

Lydia smiles. "Thanks Mr and Mrs. Argent. I really appreciate everything you've done for me."

"Of course Lydia," my mom said. "We're happy to have you. Enjoy your night girls."

/

"So, what time do we go to sleep," I asked.

Erica smiles and says "We don't. We stay up all night eating junk food and talking about boys."

"Sounds nice."

Lydia jumps and says "Let's get into our pjs."

It was a quick change and we sat in a circle on the floor.

"So, what do we do first?"

Erica laughs. "Talk about random things."

Lydia jumps up. "Did you hear about Tracy Stuart and Theo Raeken?"

"No, what?"

"They're going out," Lydia said to Erica. "He asked her to the Spring Formal."

Erica smiles and says "That's so sweet. How'd he ask her?"

"He asked her through text."

I laugh at Erica's eye roll. "That's so lame. He has to make it romantic."

"How did Boyd ask you?"

Erica flips her hair over her shoulder and says "It's a secret."

"He asked her while laying in the center of her bed, surrounded by roses," Lydia said to me with a smile.

Erica throws a pillow at her face. "Hey, no sharing my relationship information. She won't share any of hers with me."

"What do you want to know?"

"Have you and Scott done it? What was it like? Was he good?"

I blush and bite my bottom lip. She jumps up and points down at me.

"I knew it! I knew you two had sex! Danny owes me twenty bucks! Was it before or after the custody battle?"

"After."

"He owes me another twenty! Yes! Forty bucks."

Lydia laughs and says "You bet on when they'd done it?"

"Hell yeah. Best thing I ever did."

I laugh and say "Glad my relationship helps to make you money."

Erica rolls her eyes and sits back down. "So, how's Stiles," she sing songed.

Lydia smiles. "He's fine. Boyd?"

"He's good. Scott?"

I go to answer but my cell rings. I look down and show them that Scott is calling. I stand quickly and lay on my bed. 

"Hey."

"Hey beautiful. What are you doing?"

"Having a sleepover with Erica and Lydia."

"Sounds like fun. What are you doing tomorrow night?"

"Nothing. Why?"

"You forgot about the party tomorrow already?"

"Right, our date. I'm sorry I forgot."

"I'm hurt. I thought our dates meant more to you than that."

"They do. I've just had a lot on my mind."

"Ok. You'll still be my date?"

"Of course I will. Pick me up at seven."

"Ok. I'll let you get back to your sleepover. I love you."

"I love you too."

I hang up and sit back down on the floor. 

"You two are so sappy," Erica said with a laugh. She pulls out her phone and starts typing. "I'm gonna bet Danny that Scott's gonna ask you to the Spring Formal tomorrow."

Lydia laughs and says "If you keep this up, we'll have to send you to gamblers anonymous."

"Hush. I'm fine. This will be the last bet that involves cash, I swear."

/

The next day, I was half asleep by my locker. I feel a set of arms wrap around my waist and know it's Scott.

"Hey beautiful. How was your night?"

"I never knew how exhausting eating junk food and talking were."

Scott chuckles and kisses my neck. "We'll take it easy today and tonight. I promise."

"I just wanna sleep the entire day."

"Meet me in the bleachers in ten minutes. We have a free first period."

"Why don't you just come with me?"

"Just trust me, ok?"

"Always."

He kisses my cheek quickly and jogs down the hall. I go to the lacrosse field and sit at the top against the railing, closing my eyes for a second. I must have fallen asleep because Scott was shaking me awake. 

"Hey sleeping beauty. I have coffee and a cream cheese bagel."

I smile. "You're the best." I take a sip of the coffee and sigh in relief. "You didn't have to do this."

"I wanted to. I don't like seeing my girl tired."

"Split the bagel with me?"

"No, you eat. I had breakfast."

"What did you do last night," I ask before biting into the bagel. 

Scott smiles and says "Watched 'Dear John' with my mom before she went to bed. Missed you. Called you. Missed you again. Spoke with Stiles on Skype. Missed you again. Went to sleep. Dreamt of you."

I smile and Scott just kept staring at me. "So, about tonight's party. Promise we'll take it easy?"

"We'll stay for half an hour and then we can head back to my place. I'll make dinner and we can cuddle on the couch."

"That sounds fantastic. Can we start with the cuddling now though? Maybe as a practice run?"

He smiles and opens his arms so I could cuddle into his chest. 

"I love you," he whispered into my ear.

"Love you too."

/

That night, the party was at Greenburg's house. After ten minutes of being there, Scott took the DJ's mic and everyone in the yard turned toward him.

"Allison Argent, will you make me the happiest guy in Beacon Hills and be my date to the Spring Formal?"

I nod and Scott kisses me, the crowd cheering and clapping. I spot Erica in the corner taking money from Danny. 

Greenburg shouts "I was gonna ask her to that though?!"

"Back off Greenburg," Lydia shouts. "She's already taken."


	34. Spring Formal

Scott wore a red button down shirt with a black tie and black dress pants. It matched my red dress perfectly. 

"You look gorgeous."

I kiss him and dad clears his throat so we pull away.

"You two have fun tonight and be careful. You and Lydia still staying at Erica's after the dance?"

I nod. "Yes dad. And the guys will be staying with her boyfriend Boyd."

Scott shrugs and says "Video games, horror films, and sports talk. It'll be a guys night. I'll miss Allison though so I'll probably keep her up on the phone for a while."

Dad nods and I'm glad he bought it. Erica was just Lydia and mine's cover story. What would really happen after the dance is that Erica and Boyd will be together at her house. Stiles and Lydia will be at his house. Scott and I will be at his house for the entire night.

"Ok you two. Let's take pictures," Kate said holding up a camera. 

"Kate, please don't. It's a Formal, not Prom. It's not that big of a deal."

Scott shakes his head. "I beg to differ. We should take a whole bunch of pictures. We have to remember these moments."

Kate grins at me and we do end up taking a whole lot of pictures. And I mean a lot of pictures. 

/

"Allison," Erica called when we walked into the gymnasium. She gave me a hug. "You look fantastic."

We all danced for two hours straight before splitting up. Scott and Stiles joined Boyd over at the DJ station. Lydia, Erica, and I sat at the table discussing the boys and how horrible of a person Mr. Harris is. 

"Hey beautiful," Scott said as he sat next to me. "Do you want some punch?"

"No, I'm good."

"What  _do_  you want?"

"Just to be with you."

Erica makes a gagging sound. "You two are so sweet that it makes me wanna hurl."

"Like you and Boyd are any better," Lydia said with a smirk.

"That's different."

I roll my eyes and lean into Scott's side. Erica left to go spend time with Boyd while Lydia and Stiles were in their own little bubble by the punch bowl. 

"Is the dance over yet?"

Scott laughs. "No. Why do you want it to be over? Aren't you having fun with our friends?"

"I am, but I wanna be having fun with you."

"You mean you watching chick flicks and me massaging your back as you do? Or us fooling around in my bed?"

"Ooh, those both sound so good."

He kisses the side of my head. "Well, we can do both tonight if you're up to it."

"If we leave now we can do both of those things twice. Maybe even three times."

"You can't say things like that when we're in public. I don't want a repeat of the family dinner."

I smirk and put my hand on his thigh. "That doesn't sound too bad."

He stands up and steps away from me. "You need to stop teasing me."

"But its just so much fun."

He leans down and kisses me quickly. "We'll leave soon, ok? Lets just stay for another ten minutes and we'll head back to my place and I'll rub your back as you watch whatever girly film your gonna watch."

"You love me," I say with a grin.

"Yeah, I do. More than anything in the world."

"Even more than lacrosse and sleeping?"

"Absolutely. Spending time with you is the highlight of my entire day."

When we got back to his house, I was so happy to be able to change into pjs. Turns out that Scott was too tired for sex but he did massage my shoulders as I sat in between his legs to watch The Longest Ride. He wasn't too happy when I said that the male lead was hot but I couldn't help it, he totally is. So now I'm laying down with Scott but he has his back turned towards me. He was still upset with the comment even though the movie has been over for half an hour.

"You can't seriously still be mad that I said he was hot" I didn't get a reply. "Scott, you can't stay mad at me." I kiss his neck. "Come on. Give me a smile."

"No. Get him to smile at you."

"Come on, don't be like this. I was just stating a fact."

"Don't care. I don't say which girls I think are hotter than you."

My eyes widen and my jaw drops slightly. "What do you mean? I thought I was the hottest girl in your eyes."

"You're tied with an actress. At least you were until tonight."

I grab his shoulder and pin him to the bed. "Which movie star?"

"Megan Fox."

"We are never watching Transformers ever again." I go over to my side of the bed and cross my arms over my chest. Megan Fox. I shift to my side and frown. I can't compete with her. 

Scott shifts and his arms wrap around me. He leans toward my ear and I can feel his smile. 

"Not so fun is it? Don't worry. I still think you're hotter. Just refrain from calling other guys hot around me or I'll ignore you and watch Transformers on my phone." He kisses my neck and I smile. 

I turn to him and kiss him softly. "Scott Eastwood is hot but he's not as hot as my boyfriend. At least not to me." He kisses me and I pull away a minute later. "I'm serious about us never watching the Transformers ever again."

 


	35. Laughter and Kisses Are the Best Medicine

Today is probably the best day ever. Today was my parents nineteenth anniversary. Scott was coming over with Melissa to celebrate with us and that brought a smile to my face.

"Allison," my mom asked sweetly as she walked into the living room. "How soon will Melissa and Scott be here?"

"They'll be here in five. Scott texted me."

Lydia walks over. "I promise I'll be out of the house before they get here."

Kate then says "You going to see Stiles?"

"No, he and his dad are having a bonding day. I'm going to the library."

Mom shakes her head. "Absolutely not. School just ended and I don't want you finishing all that summer work in one day all alone. You'll stay and celebrate with us."

"Thank you for the offer but I'll be fine."

Mom puts her hands on her hips. "I wasn't offering, I was telling you that you're staying. Do I make myself clear?"

Lydia gulps and says "Yes Mrs. Argent."

"Please, call me Victoria. You're practically family."

The doorbell rings and my dad lets Scott and Melissa in. Scott kisses me quickly and Melissa hugs me tightly. 

"Melissa, why don't you come join me in the kitchen. We can talk as I cook."

"Nonsense. I insist on helping."

/

After dinner, Scott and I were cuddling on the couch as we all watched their wedding video. Half way through the video, I started sneezing. 

"You getting a cold," Lydia asked. 

"It's just the dust making me sneeze. I'm fine."

Scott shifts to look at me better. "Are you sure that you're ok?"

"Yeah. I'm completely fine."

/

Well, it turns out that I wasn't. The next morning, I was sneezing every few seconds. I had two tissue boxes on my bedside table and the two already empty tissue boxes on the floor.

"I know something that'll make you feel better," Lydia said. 

Scott and Stiles walk in with Lydia. Stiles had a pile of Disney movies, Scott had a bowl of chicken soup, and Lydia had cold medicine. 

"Hey beautiful," Scott said as he sides beside me. "I made you chicken soup."

"Thats an understatement," Stiles said. "He made you enough soup for the week."

Lydia then says "At least  _he_  made her something she actually likes."

"I thought you'd like pizza with anchovy, onions, and garlic."

Scott and I make a disgusted face. He shrugs and holds a spoonful of soup out to me. I laugh before eating it. After two more spoons, I took over feeding myself. We all started watching the Disney movies, starting with my favorite Beauty and the Beast. 

Lydia then says "Can we watch the Little Mermaid next?"

"Absolutely," I said as I was curled into Scott's side. 

Stiles smiles and says "Lydia reminds me of Ariel."

Lydia smiles and says "If I'm Ariel, you're my Prince Eric."

They kiss quickly and Scott gets up to change the disc. After watching Lilo & Stitch, we decided to take a break from Disney movies. 

"Let's watch the Notebook," Lydia said. 

Stiles nods and says "Fine, but I pick next movie."

"Deal."

I laugh and settle back into Scott. At the end of the movie, Stiles was wiping his eyes quickly. 

"Ha, you like the Notebook," Lydia said with a smile. 

Stiles shakes his head and says "It's such a touching story line."

I pass him a tissue and say "I'm feeling so much better. Thanks guys."

Scott kisses me quickly and says "Good."

Stiles jumps up and says "My turn to pick a movie!"

I smile. "What are we watching? Star Wars?"

"Tranformers," he said. "Megan Fox is a total hottie."

I glare at Stiles and say "We are not watching Transformers."

Stiles then says "But she's my girl. Her and Selena Gomez are secretly my wives. Well, Selena Gomez is. Scotty called dibs on Megan Fox months ago."

That's when I turned my glare to Scott. Scott clears his throat and turns to Stiles. 

"Maybe we should watch something else instead," he said with a sheepish smile. He turns to me. "Is Star Wars ok?"

I nod and say "Star Wars is fine."

Stiles then says "But she's so hot. Scott, you have agree with me. Isn't she so hot?"

I turn to Scott and say "If you wanna walk out of here alive and still in a relationship, you won't answer."

Scott turns to Stiles. "She's hot but not as hot as Allison."

"Allison has you totally whipped."

Lydia was glaring and says "Not a bad idea. Where can I get one for Stiles?"

Stiles gulps and says "Star Wars it is."

/

Afterwards, Lydia took Stiles into the guest room and made him watch makeup tutorials, for two hours. 

"You know I love you way more than Megan Fox, right?"

"How can I be so sure?"

Scott shrugs and says "You just have to trust me."

"I do trust you. I just don't trust that you think I'm the hottest girl you've ever seen."

"Well, you are. Megan Fox has nothing on you." He kisses my forehead and smiles. "Can I get you anything?"

I shake my head. "I'm fine. Thanks for the soup."

"Anything for my girl." His phone rings and he smiles. "Hey mom. Yeah, she's feeling better. I'll be home soon. I love you too." He hangs up and kisses my cheek. "She told me to give you a kiss and wish you well."

I smile. "Your mom is so good to me."

"She has to be. You're the girl I'm gonna marry one day."

"Not if I say no."

Scott shakes his head. "You won't. You love me too much."

"Yeah, I do."

Scott takes out a #1 charm. "I got it because I want you to always remember that you're number one in my eyes." 

"You're so cute." I put it on the necklace and then put it back on. "I love it. Just like I love you."

 


	36. Summer Kickoff

Lydia was talking about the Summer Kickoff party that the seniors always throw as their last hurrah. 

"Seriously Allison, its the event of the year." Lydia said with a giant smile. "Stiles is out of town and is gonna miss it. You have to come as my plus one."

"What if my boyfriend wants me to be  _his_  plus one?"

"He can go alone! You're mine!"

I laugh and nod. "I don't know. Where is the party anyway?"

"The middle of the preserve. It's awesome. Lanterns on the tree branches. Bonfire. Blasting music. Bribed cops. Amazing food. They don't usually have alcohol but this year could be different, I doubt it though. Lessens the chances of the party getting busted." She smiles and puts her hands together in a pleading manner. "So if you go, not only will you be spending time with me but you'll also be attending one of the best parties in your entire life."

"Ok. Fine. I'll go. I'll be your plus one."

Lydia jumps up. "Yay! We're gonna have so much fun. We're gonna look so hot at the party that the  _bonfire_  will be jealous of  _us_."

"You're ridiculous."

"I'm just calling it like I see it."

The doorbell rings and I go to open it but Kate beat me to it. She opens the door with a smile. 

"Hey brown eyes. Those for me? You shouldn't have." She takes roses and walks away. "Hi my beautiful niece and beautiful adoptive niece. Scott's here."

Scott looked after Kate in shock. "I brought you roses but your aunt took them from me."

"It's ok." 

"I thought asking you the Summer Kickoff would be a lot more romantic with roses. Will you still go with me?"

I bite my bottom lip. "I actually already have a date."

His jaw drops open. "You're going with another guy? Did I do something wrong? Did I forget something? Are you breaking up with me? Whatever I did, I'm sorry. I can change."

I grab his shoulders and kiss him. "Will you relax? You didn't do anything wrong and I love you the way you are. We're not breaking up."

"So why are you going with another guy?"

"I'm going with Lydia."

Scott turns to Lydia. "You stole my girlfriend?"

"My boyfriend is out of town and I am  _not_  going to the party alone."

"But I was gonna ask her to be my date."

Lydia shrugs. "Too bad. You were too late."

"You can ask someone else to the party," I said. "She just can't be hot and if she's not into guys it would be perfect."

Scott laughs and says "I'll bring a guy from the lacrosse team if it'll make you feel better."

"Just not Danny. He has a thing for athletes."

Lydia then says "I'll give her back to you at the end of the night. Promise."

Kate then says "What are you gonna do if she goes to France? How are you gonna handle the separation then brown eyes?"

"I'll wallow in the summer cabin and call her on Skype every night."

Lydia then says "And I'll keep the girls away from him so don't you worry Allison."

I smile and say "And you won't have to worry about me because you're the only guy I want."

He kisses me and I see Lydia roll her eyes when we pull away but she wore a giant smile.

Kate then says "You two are fresh out of a Nicholas Sparks novel."

Scott smiles and says "Well, I'll take that as a sign that I'm being a good boyfriend. Nicholas Sparks is a genius when it comes to relationships."

I run my hand through his hair. "So sweet."

Lydia then says "Can you tell that to Stiles?"

/

At the Summer Kickoff, Lydia and I were by the drink table. I was sipping on a Sprite and Lydia had a Dr. Pepper in hand. She wore a white blouse and tight black leggings, her blouse having two buttons undone to show some cleavage. She had almost every guy here tripping over himself to look at her. I wore a red blouse with a black leather jacket and jeans that "outlined my great curves that I couldn't deny the world of" at least according to Lydia. I hadn't seen Scott anywhere.

"Will you enjoy yourself," Lydia asked with an eye roll. "You'll see Scott soon enough. He'll be here. He's never missed the Summer Kickoff and he definitely won't miss out on the opportunity to spend even more time with you."

I nod and take another sip of my soda. "Have you spoken to Stiles?"

"I texted him a picture of me in this outfit and I got no reply."

Danny walks over a few minutes later and says "You two look fabulous. Scott and Stiles better be careful with all these hot guys around. They might try to steal you away."

"It won't work," I say with a smile. 

Danny then says "You and Scott cost me a lot of money with Erica."

"Sorry, but I had no clue you were betting on my sex life."

"Speaking of your relationship, how is it?" He leans closer. "And by it, I mean him. He treating you like a queen?"

"Always."

Danny nods. "Good. He should be."

Lydia then says "She has him wrapped around her finger."

"You say that like its a bad thing," Scott said from behind me. I turn around and Scott smiles. "You look gorgeous, like always."

"Where have you been?"

"I have a picnic for us by the cliff overlooking the town. Come with me."

Lydia then says "Excuse me, you can't steal my date."

"I thought you'd say that, so I brought you a surprise." Scott turns and we all see Stiles. "Now you have a date and I can have my girlfriend back."

Lydia hugs Stiles and says "Take her. I don't want her."

"I'd be offended if it didn't mean I got to have a picnic with my boyfriend."

"Sorry sis, I'll make it up to you by covering for you with your parents."

/

The picnic was amazing, Scott had pizza for us and had lanterns on the tree branches behind us while we look out at the town. It was the definition of perfect. 

"You're such an amazing boyfriend," I said to Scott as I sat between his legs, leaning backwards into his chest. "I'm lucky to have you."

Scott kisses my ear. "So, I was thinking about what Kate said about handling the separation. Would you mind talking to me every night? Do you want me to leave you alone for the summer so you can enjoy family time? Just tell me what you want and I'll do it. Anything to make you happy."

"I want you to call me every night. I want you to keep having fun at the cabin and I want you to expect me at Lydia's cabin at one point. If we do go, it won't be for long."

"So then you're going to come to the cabins with us?"

"Yeah. I wanna spend time with my amazing boyfriend. It'll be fun."

Scott nods. "That'll be the highlight of my entire summer. I'll have to countdown the days till we are reunited again."


	37. Goodbyes

Lydia was standing beside me. "I can't believe you're leaving tomorrow."

"I'll be back in two weeks."

"That's forever. How am I supposed to live without my sister?"

"You'll be fine. You're going to the lake with Melissa and Scott."

"It'll be cool, but even better if you were with us. I'm gonna be all alone at my cabin."

"Why don't you crash with Melissa and Scott till I get there?"

"I might just wait here till you return. I'll bury myself in the covers and binge on ice cream."

I shake my head. "No, you're going to the lake and going to have a fun time. I'll be back soon enough. You can make Scott watch the Notebook every night till I come back."

Lydia seems to be considering it. "I do love the Notebook and Melissa would probably join us. That could work. However, it won't fill the void your absence leaves in my heart."

"We'll talk over Skype. You can fill me in on how you're spending your time."

"Speaking of spending time, you seeing Scott before you leave tomorrow afternoon?"

"I'm having dinner at his house and then he's coming to the airport tomorrow. Why do you ask?"

Lydia shrugs. "I can't go a day without at least kissing Stiles. I don't know how you and Scott are gonna last two weeks."

"I'll be fine. Plus, it'll just make my return that much better."

"Ooh, thinking of ways to celebrate?"

"Celebrate what," my dad asked as he stood in the doorway.

Lydia smiles and says "When she comes back from France. She's gonna be so happy to see me again that we'll have to have a party at the cabin. You want an invite Mr. Argent? I can put you on the V.I.P. list."

Dad laughs. "No thanks. I think you two should have fun on your own. As long as Allison texts me when she can so I know she's alright."

Lydia puts her hand on my shoulder. "I promise she will. I'll have her under my watchful eye."

"I think it'd be safer if you both watched each other." Dad kisses my forehead. "Say hi to Melissa and Scott tonight and be home before eleven tonight. We need to go to the airport early so we're ready for our flight."

I nod. "I will. See you later dad."

/

When I pulled up to the McCall house, Scott was waiting on the porch for me.

"Hey handsome. Couldn't wait inside?"

"Was too far away from you so waiting outside made it quicker for me to hug you. Speaking of which," he jumps over the railing and pulls me into a tight hug. 

I laugh as I wrap my arms around him. "How long have you been waiting out here?"

"Three hours."

"You're crazy."

"Only about you."

I kiss him quickly. "You are a total sap but you're my total sap."

Melissa jogs outside. "Allison, you look beautiful as always."

"So do you Melissa." I hug her quickly. "Do you need any help with dinner?"

Scott then says "We're ordering pizza so we can have maximum time with you."

Melissa then says "Did Scott tell you how long he's been outside waiting for you?"

"Yeah, he's so sweet."

Melissa pinches his cheek. "I think he got that from me."

"I think so too."

Scott smiles. "How about we go inside and relax?"

Melissa takes my arms and leads me into the house, leaving Scott outside. He joined me on the couch as Melissa sat across from us. 

"So, are you excited for your trip? I know Scott's worked out a calling schedule already so how are you handling it?"

"It'll be nice to see my other relatives but I'll definitely miss Scott so he better put that calling schedule to use as soon as I land."

Scott kisses the side of my head. "You can count on that. I even worked in times for Lydia to call you."

"Wow, you really put a lot of effort into this."

"If only he did that with his school work," Melissa said as she went to grab another slice of pizza.

Scott had his mouth wide open with a sad look in his eyes. "Mom, that's not cool."

I kiss him. "I'll tutor you." Scott smiles and kisses me.

"Ok," Melissa said as she walked back into the room which broke us apart. "I'm gonna go read a book in my room while you two relax. Bedroom door open. That's all I ask. Its awkward now that I've said that so I'm gonna go." She kisses the top of my head. "Have a safe flight since I won't see you before your flight."

"Thanks Melissa. Goodnight." 

/

"Do you wanna watch something," Scott asked as he was spooning me on the couch. 

I shake my head. "No, I just wanna stay right here in your arms. I can watch movies in France, but I can't be with you."

"You'll be fine. I on the other hand will be completely miserable without you."

"No you won't. You'll hardly notice I'm gone."

"You kidding, of course I'll notice. I'm not gonna be able to sleep."

I turn in his arms and bury my face in his chest. "I wish you'd fit in my carry on so I can bring you with me."

He laughs. "Wouldn't putting me in your luggage be a better chance?"

"Yeah, but my mom says the most important things go in your carry on."

"I'm important?"

"Super important."

Scott pulls me tighter. "That's it, I can't let you leave. I'm keeping you trapped here in my arms forever."

I sigh. "That sounds really nice. Lets go with that plan."

"We can't. You love France and your relatives miss you. You have to go but the minute you're back, you're trapped again."

"Promise?"

"Cross my heart."

"What time is it?"

"10:30."

"I don't wanna go home. It doesn't have you."

"I'll take you home and we'll hang there for a while. Then I'll come back here."

"Or you could stay and cuddle me."

"You have to get up early for your flight."

"Which is all the more reason you should stay over. I need a good nights rest and being in your arms makes me fall asleep faster. Plus, it gives us more time together."

"I'm sold. Come on, I'll drive."

/

"Hey brown eyes," Kate said with a smile. "What brings you here? Besides my niece of course."

I smile when dad walks into the room. "Can Scott stay over? Please?"

"Sure," Kate said. "Brown eyes is always welcomed. Right big brother?"

Dad sighs and says "Only if he plays me in cards."

"You're going down Mr. Argent," Scott said. 

"Oh no, you both are gonna lose to me," I said. 

/

It was great. I beat them. Actually, beat is an understatement, I annihilated them. Scott was in his pajamas and I was in his t-shirt and a pair of boyfriend shorts. 

"I might have lost but you seem a million times hotter to me after that," Scott said as we laid down.

"Oh really? Do you know what would make you a million times hotter right now?"

"What?"

"If you take your shirt off."

He laughs but does it anyway. I rest my head on his chest and just listen to his heart beating. 

"I hate you right now," I said. 

"What? Why?"

"If you were a terrible boyfriend, going on this trip would be so easy. You being terrific is making me hate the idea of this trip."

"I'll be here when you get back. You'll be staying with Lydia and I'll take you for picnics by the lake. We'll make a campfire and stargaze."

"You've really thought this through."

"I figured that the separation would be more bearable if I had something to look forward to doing with you when you come back. The whole look at the positive side."

"That sounds nice. I'll have to try that."

"Use it on the flight. You'll be totally fine once you get there and see your family."

"I'm gonna miss you and Lydia so much."

"You'll be too busy having fun to miss us. When you get back though, we're gonna bombard you with all kinds of fun things."

"Good. I love you."

"I love you too. Sweet dreams gorgeous."

"Sweet dreams handsome."

/

"You better answer when I Skype you," Lydia said with an accusing finger pointed at my face. "If you so much as miss a single Skype request, I will fly to France, slap you, come back home, and call you again. And if you still don't answer, I'll be needing a new best friend and Scott will be looking for a new girlfriend because you will have disappeared. Do I make myself clear?"

I laugh and pull her into a hug. "I get it. I'm gonna miss you too."

"I think I'm gonna cry."

"Don't or I'll start to cry."

Lydia takes deep breathes and turns away. "I need a minute. Say goodbye to your boyfriend. Go. I'm gonna go hug Kate."

She leaves and Scott steps forward. "Hey," he said. 

"Hi."

"You'll call when you land, right? Because I can be pretty negative at times. I don't wanna imagine you ever getting hurt. You know I'll worry."

"I know. I'll call." I pull him into a tight hug. "Why couldn't you be a selfish boyfriend who asks me to cancel my trip? Why are you so perfect?"

"You're perfect. I'm just ok."

"Stay away from hot girls. Don't smile that kind smile you give everyone. Don't hold the door for them. In fact, stay locked in the cabin till I come back."

"If you want that, I'll do it. Seriously. I'll store food and then mail you the key."

"No, go out and have fun. I'll just join you when I get back."

"Remember, picnics and stargazing."

"Kissing better be another activity."

He grins. "That and a few other activities."

"Can I get a preview?"

"Not if you want to make your flight."

"Bummer. I'm looking forward to all the fun we're gonna have."

"Good. We'll Skype every night, I swear."

Stiles steps forward. "Bring me back a key chain for Roscoe."

"Sure Stiles."

"Be careful and don't worry about Lydia and Scott. They're gonna be fine."

Scott nods. "Yeah, so have an awesome time."

Kate walks over and puts her hand on Scott's shoulder. "Sorry brown eyes but it's time to board. Finish up the sappy goodbye quickly."

"I love you. Have fun. Be safe. Call me when you land. Don't fall for a French guy while you're gone."

I kiss him. "You're the only guy I want. And I love you too. I'll see you over Skype."

Lydia tackles me in a hug, nearly knocking me over. "Don't you dare get a new best friend because no one beats Lydia Martin."

"I already know that. I haven't even left yet and I already miss you two."

"You'll be fine," they said at the same time.


	38. I'm Back Now

Waiting for my luggage was the most nerve-wracking experience of my life. Having to wait for a black luggage that seemed to be everyone's choice in luggage was torture. It was just a continuous assembly line of luggages that were exactly alike. With each luggage that passed and wasn't mine, I lost time with Lydia and Scott.

"Relax," Kate said beside me. "You're shaking."

"I need to get out of here?! I want to hug Lydia. I want to kiss Scott. I can't waste anymore time in this stupid luggage claim."

"You'll do that after you get your bags. Plus, you'll be in a cabin by the lake with them for the rest of the summer. You'll be with them soon."

"Not soon enough. I want to be with them right now. At this very second."

Dad laughs. "I know these last two weeks have been hard on you but you'll be reunited with them as soon as we get the luggages and drive to the cabin."

I groan. "This is taking forever. Summer will be over by the time we get out of here."

"Don't be so dramatic kiddo," Kate said. "You'll be with your friends soon."

Just thinking about seeing them brought a smile to my face. I couldn't wait to see Lydia in whatever red carpet outfit she came up with. I couldn't wait to smell her strawberry shampoo. I couldn't wait for her to scream loud enough that she'd damage part of my hearing. It would be so worth it. Seeing my sister would be worth it.

Then there's Scott. God I missed him. I missed his warm and sweet crooked smile. A smile that I swear could light up the entire world. I could imagine his arms around me, holding me tightly and refusing to let me go. I missed hearing his breathing and the steady lub dub of his heart. I can't wait till I hear his gentle voice and can kiss his soft lips. 

"We only have one left," Kate said which snapped me out of my thoughts. "You missing the boyfriend?"

"So much that I might hallucinate him here."

"There," I jumped up and pointed at a black luggage that's tag read 'Allison Argent'. I grabbed it and made a beeline towards the exit. 

/

I gave my luggage of dirty clothes to my parents and took Kate's car to the cabin. She also told me to not forget what's in the glove compartment. I'll check when I get there but I'm sure it's just an extra extra stack of cash. That woman believes in extra everything. When we went camping, she brought two dart guns for herself just in case the first malfunctioned. It was a great camping trip though. I make the turn for Lydia's cabin and park just outside the path so I can surprise them. 

Condoms. There were condoms in the glove compartment. Kate can't seriously think that's all Scott and I will be doing. Then again, I wouldn't mind if we did spend the rest of the summer doing that.

"Allison," Lydia shouted as she came running towards me. She tackles me in a hug and I almost collapse from the force of it. "I've missed you so much."

"I missed you too."

Lydia rolls her eyes at me. "Go ahead. Ask me about Scott. I know you want to."

"Where is he?"

"He ran off an hour again rambling about the lake and you."

"God I've missed him. But he can wait. I want to spend time with you. I've missed you."

"I already worked out a schedule with Scott. He gets you from six to seven and then I get you the rest of the night. Then tomorrow you can be all his."

"So I go to him now and then spend the night with you?"

"Yup. I'm depriving you of sex for one more night."

"I can live with that."

/ 

Lydia's cabin was really nice. It was super cozy and I would be rooming with Lydia who had a second bed. It had a flatscreen tv for movies but right now I was just dropping off my luggage before going to meet Scott. 

Walking towards the lake, I couldn't stop smiling. I felt like I could fly. It was so nice to be back. Sure I miss being in France but Scott and Lydia mean so much more to me. The lake was in the distance and I could see the silhouette of Scott sitting on the edge of the cliff. 

"Scott," I shouted as I started jogging toward him. He stood up and ran over, lifting me in a hug . "I've missed you so much."

"I've missed holding you," he said into my neck. "Thank god you're back."

"Never let me leave again."

"Trust me, I'm definitely considering it."

He put me down and I kissed him. His soft plush lips were just as I remembered them. I missed them so much. Scott's strong arms were around my waist and I couldn't get passed the feeling of being at home. No place ever felt like home till I met Scott. Scott is my home. He's my symbol of safety and love. He's all I need. 

"Lydia's stealing you for the night. Tomorrow you're all mine though."

"That sounds so nice," I whispered into his neck. "If I go away again, I'm bringing you with me."

"I'm cuffing us together if you even think of leaving me anytime soon."

"In that case, I'm leaving again."

He laughed and says "Lydia would kill me if I ruin the schedule."

/

Scott was feeding me chocolate covered strawberries as I leaned against his chest. The sun was setting over the lake and it was gorgeous. Scott had made all my favorites and I couldn't be happier in his arms. I want to stay like this forever. 

"Penny for your thoughts," Scott whispered into my ear. 

I tilt my head back to look at him. "I'm just thinking about how much I love being here like this and how I wanna stay in this moment forever."

"I know how you feel. I could spend the rest of my life just holding you." He kisses me quickly and sighs. "But our hours up and you're Lydia's for the rest of the night."

"Can't you join us? You can hold me as we watch movies."

"Lydia said she'd use her heels to slit my throat if I so much as stepped foot near her cabin."

"I'll see you tomorrow then?"

"Absolutely." He kisses me with a giant smile. "I'm so happy you're back. I missed you so much."

"I missed you too. I'll see you tomorrow. I love you."

"I love you too."

/

"You ready to watch the Notebook," Lydia asked. 

"You kidding me?" I jump onto the bed so I was leaning against her. "I've been waiting two weeks to watch this with you."

"You have no clue how much I missed having my sister around. Did you have fun with Scott?"

"I had lots of fun with Scott. He made all my favorites and we had a picnic by the lake as the sun was setting. It was so romantic." Lydia was smiling. "How's Stiles?"

"Just as amazing. After you left, we had a Nicholas Sparks marathon. He stayed awake for every movie."

"That's so sweet."

/

After the Notebook, we went outside and the moon was overhead. 

"So, I realized that it was kinda unfair to let Scott only spend an hour with you so I texted him over."

I felt arms lift me up and the next thing I know I'm underwater with Scott who is fully clothed. Lydia dove in with her outfit and I splashed Scott when he swam up. Lydia dunked his head underwater. Being back is so nice.  


	39. Splitting Time

It was exhausting. It really was. I loved them both so much, but my life shouldn't be a schedule of who spends time with me now. It sucks the fun out of the trip. Today I'm scheduled to be with Lydia by the lake but I haven't seen Scott in three days since Melissa and he had to drive back home because they'd forgot some things. He got back late last night and I didn't have anytime with him. I'd have gone to see him last night but it was  _Lydia's_  turn. 

I can't keep doing this schedule. I shouldn't have to wake up and ask whose day it is. Today I was going to spend time with Scott. Even if it was Lydia's day. 

I woke up at five in the morning, went to Scott's cabin, and climbed into his room window. He was asleep still, completely unaware that I had just made my way through the first floor window. He looked so peaceful curled up in the center of the twin bed. Captain America boxers on making me smile at how cute they look on him. My super hero.

"Scott," I whispered when I sat on the edge. I shook him softly. "Scott, wake up."

His eyes opened and he sits up slowly. With a quick stretch of his arms over his head, making his six pack look amazing by the way, he seemed wide awake. 

"Hey beautiful. Is it six already? How was your day with Lydia?"

I kissed the tip of his nose quickly. "It's five in the morning. As for my day with Lydia, I'm ditching it. Just you and me."

He wraps his arms around my waist and lays us down so that he was spooning me. His nose was buried in the nape of my neck. His hand laced with mine. 

"That sounds nice," he whispered. "Totally worth whatever fiery it brings upon me."

"I've missed you."

He kissed my neck quickly. "I missed you too. I wanted to stop by yesterday but it was late and it was Lydia's night for you."

I face him and Scott kisses my forehead. I grab his chin with my free hand and kiss him properly. It was soft and slow. One of Scott's hands went to my cheek and the other stayed locked with mine.

"I love you," he said when we pulled away for air. "So, what do you want to do today since you're ditching the lake plan?"

"Can't I just stay with you? We can watch movies and cuddle. I just miss spending time with you."

He smiles softly. "Movies and cuddles it is."

I bury my face into the front of his chest and he rests his chin on my head. It was nice to just be in his arms. I drifted into a peaceful sleep, waking up two hours later with Scott smiling that sweet smile of his.

"What do you want for breakfast," he whispered into my ear. His voice extra breathy, making me giggle as it make my ear ticklish. He kisses the spot under my ear and I can feel him smiling against my skin. "What do you want?"

"It's not that simple," I said with a slight whine. 

He laughed and moved away from me. "You did not just say a line from the Notebook."

I turn so I'm mounting him. "I totally just did."

"You've been watching movies with Lydia for too long."

"We should probably fix that. How will we ever take my mind off such amazing movies?"

Scott sits up so I was mounting his legs and slowly starts kissing down my neck. I pull his head away by using the hairs at the nape of his neck, pulling his lips to mine. 

I wish I could say that we had really hot and passionate sex, but what we really did was just make out till Melissa called him down to breakfast. 

Melissa was slightly surprised to see me here so early, but didn't say a word about it. Instead, she just started to make me some breakfast. I love Melissa.

/

Here I was, sitting on the couch with my boyfriend as his mother went grocery shopping.

"You hot? I can turn on the AC."

I shake my head. "I'm fine."

"You're not just  _fine_ , you're gorgeous."

I shove him lightly and laugh. "You're so lucky that I love you."

He kisses me slowly and nods against my forehead. "Yeah, I am lucky. Extremely lucky."

I brush my nose against his. "I'm glad you know that."

Scott strokes my cheeks with his thumbs. "I'm the luckiest guy in the world. You know why?" He didn't even let me answer before he started talking again. "Because I get to call  _you_  my girlfriend."

"I'm pretty lucky to have you as a boyfriend," I say with a shrug.

We leaned in to kiss and Melissa burst through the front door with a single grocery bag in hand. 

"What do you two want for lunch," she asked as we jumped apart. She looks at how close we were sitting and how I was turned to face him and grimaces. "I just ruined a moment, didn't I. I'm sorry. I'll be in the kitchen if you wanna tell me what you want for lunch. I'm sorry."

I shake my head. "No, it's fine. Don't worry about it." I stand from the couch. "Would you like some help with lunch?"

"No, you spend time with Scott. He's been moping around about not having spent time with you for three days. It was driving him crazy. I thought he'd never get out of bed."

Scott says "Mom," in a whine. "You're embarrassing me."

"It doesn't take much," I said with a grin. 

"That's it. You're dead," he said as he jumped to his feet and made a grab for my waist. I dodged and started running around the house. Melissa had shouted something about not breaking anything but I heard her laughing at how ridiculous we probably looked. "I'm totally gonna make you pay for that comment."

I ran upstairs and go to lock his room door but he pushed through before I could. I went to run but he grabbed me from behind and pulled me into his chest, tickling me. My laughter echoed throughout the cabin and Scott's laughter was in sync with my own. 

"I...can't...breath," I said in between laughs. Scott immediately stopped tickling me and just held me in a gentle hug. I turned in his arms and buried my face in his neck. "I thought I was gonna pass out from lack of oxygen."

He kisses my forehead. "I'm glad you didn't." He rests his chin on my head. "What do you wanna do? We can do anything."

I press a gentle kiss below his ear and after a few seconds, continue down his neck. He pulled away and kissed me slowly, lifting me by my waist and pressing me into the wall without a sound. He ran his hand up from my ankle all the way to my shorts. 

We pulled away and looked into each other's eyes. He still had me up against the wall and my legs were wrapped around his waist. The room was perfectly lit and the bed looked as though no one had slept in it. Scott's eyes glanced at it and then back at me. I knew what he was thinking and I wanted the same thing so I wasted no time in nodding my head. 

Once again, our lips connected and I was so lost in the sensation that I hadn't realized that we had moved from the wall till my back slowly made contact with the mattress. Melissa shouted that she had forgot to get something at the store before the front door closed. Perfect timing. 

/

I woke up with Scott's arms around me from behind, his nose buried in the nape of my neck. His slow and steady breathing making the baby hairs on the back of my neck stand. I wore his t-shirt and my white panties. I turned and had my face in his chest. He had put on dark blue boxers. 

"What time is it," Scott asked in a groggy voice. His eyes still closed and his grip on me still tight.

I glance over his shoulder at the clock and then rest my head back on the pillow. "1:34. We should get dressed before your mom gets home. The grocery store is an hour away and we don't know how much more she had to buy."

He groans but nods against me. He let me go and we both got dressed again. We fixed the bed that looked like a tornado had hit it before heading down to the kitchen. 

"You hungry," I asked him.

He nodded. "I'm hungry for your kisses."

"You're so cheesy. Be serious. Are you hungry?"

He smiles. "I'm starving. I'm kinda in the mood for burgers. Want me to make?"

I step in front of him and wrap my arms around his neck. "I'd love a burger. But I'd love a bacon cheeseburger way more."

"You had me at bacon." He kisses the tip of my nose. "I'll make one for my mom too."

"I'll make the bacon. You make the burgers on the barbecue."

He shakes his head. "No, I'll make the bacon  _and_  the burgers. You'll go talk to Lydia so she's not ready to scream our heads off. You did skip out on your day with her."

I sigh. "Yeah, I should go apologize. She was just trying to be a good friend. It's not her fault that it ended up depriving me of time with my boyfriend."

"I'll have the food ready by the time you come back."

/

When I went to unlocked the door to Lydia's cabin, it opened. I made my way inside calmly and walked to our room. I kinda wish I hadn't though. Stiles let out a moan and Lydia's scream came soon after. 

/

When I went back to Scott's cabin, Melissa was setting the table and Scott was holding the tray with three burgers.

"Hey," Scott said. "You're just in time."

"I'm not that hungry anymore."

"Oh, it's ok. I'll eat it and make you something later. Are you feeling alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just...lost my appetite."

"Well come sit by me and I'll cuddle you. If you want of course."

I nod. "Yeah, I'd like that."

Scott had one arm wrapped around me as the other was being used to eat. Melissa sat across from us, raving about the burger that Scott made. He kept offering me bites but my stomach was still not up to the idea of food. Talking about something like that with your best friend is one thing, but actually hearing it is another thing entirely. 

"So," Melissa said after a couple minutes of complete silence. "Allison, what are your plans for tonight?"

"I'm not sure. I might just stay here, if that's alright."

Melissa nods. "That's perfectly fine. You can stay with Scott as long as there's no...funny business."

"Just sleeping." I smile at Scott quickly. "It's been a tiring day."

"Good," Melissa said. "I'm going for a walk. Call me if there's an emergency or you start to feel worse."

I shake my head. "I'm fine. Plus, I'm in good hands." I smile at Scott. "He's very protective. He goes a little overboard sometimes but I love him all the same."

Scott kisses the top of my head and Melissa smiles at us. She leaves with a nod and a bright smile. 

"How did it go at Lydia's? Are we forgiven?"

I shrug. "I don't know. She was a little too busy with Stiles."

"You walked in on them?"

"No, I just kinda heard the end results." He bursts into laughter so I hit his arm. "It's not funny. I was totally grossed out."

"You mean you were as grossed out as when Lydia walked in on us about to do it?"

I blush. "That's different. It was us then and we locked the front door." I rest my head on his shoulder. "I'm feeling a little hungry now."

He kisses the top of my head. "What do you want?" 

"Pancakes?"

"Your wish is my command," he said with a bow when he stood.

/

Laying in bed with Scott, I got a text from Lydia. 

_To Allison_

_From Lydia_

_Figured you skipped our day to be with Scott. It's fine, I've been taking up all your time. I used it to spend time with Stiles so I wasn't bored. Hope you had a great day. I'm gonna throw the schedule in the trash. Love you sis._

I curl into Scott and fall asleep with a smile. Today was amazing, even if I heard Lydia and Stiles in bed. 

"Love you," Scott whispered before we drifted to sleep.


	40. Double Dates and Cuddles

"Lets go into town and catch a movie," Stiles said.

I had my head resting on Scott's chest as we laid on my bed at Lydia's cabin. Stiles and Lydia were cuddling on Lydia's bed. 

"I'm up for a movie," Lydia said.

Scott takes my hand. "You'll ride on my dirt bike with me."

"No, she's coming with me in my car," Lydia said. "Right Allison?"

"Riding with my best friend and her boyfriend or wrapping my arms around my muscular boyfriend." I kiss him. "You win. Sorry Lyds. Tomorrow I'll go wherever you want with you."

Stiles wraps his arms around her tighter. "Now I get to spend alone time with the girl of my dreams."

Lydia kisses him and makes a gesture to the door. I roll my eyes and take Scott's hand, leading him to the kitchen. Melissa had to go back to work so now Stiles and Scott are staying alone at his cabin and I'm with Lydia alone at her cabin. But we haven't really been sleeping where we're supposed to be. I've been sleeping at Scott's while Stiles has been with Lydia. Its a really great arrangement. 

"You know we'll have to leave the cabin if they get loud right," Scott asked. "Because I do not wanna know what it sounds like for them."

I smile and wrap my arms around is neck. "What about what it sounds like for us?"

He smirks. "It's the best sound ever."

Lydia lets out a moan and I grab Scott's hand, leading him back to his cabin. We sit on the couch and he just holds me.

"What do you want for your birthday," I asked. "It's coming up and I wanna have your gift."

"Your love is all I want."

"You already have that. What else do you want?"

"Cuddles."

"Why are you being so difficult?"

He kisses my forehead. "I don't want you to get me anything. You're happiness is all I want."

"Getting you a birthday gift would make me happy."

"Your smile is enough."

"Tell me what I can get you."

"Nope. You're all I need." 

I would have argued more, but he kissed me and it was too good to not get lost in it. I'd never get tired of the sensation of his lips on mine. It's the best feeling ever. It put romance novels and movies to shame. When we kiss, I feel butterflies in my stomach and fireworks in my head. I feel light as a feather and my lips feel like they're touching clouds.

"I love you," he says when he pulls away for air.

I kiss him quickly. "I love you too."

Scott smiles down at me. "What do you see in the future?"

"I see me in my office at a law firm where I'm a partner. I'll be giving a voice to people who are too scared to use their own. I'll be helping people." I cup his cheek and smile. "And when I get home, I'm gonna have dinner with my amazing husband and then we'll go to bed, after putting our daughter to bed though."

"That sounds absolutely perfect." He smiles. "When I think about my future, I see myself as a doctor, possibly working with kids. I'll make my way home after a long day of healing the world one person at a time and I'll see my amazing wife and daughter. Maybe even another daughter will be on the way."

I kiss him sweetly and couldn't resist the urge to get his skin on mine. I lifted his shirt off and threw it onto the floor. Something about talking about our future sparked something in me. Scott pulled my own shirt off and we proceeded to make out. I trailed my hands down his chest, feeling him shudder as my nails made their way down, till my hands met at the button of his jeans.

I heard my phone vibrating against the glass coffee table. Scott pulled away but I shook my head and pulled him back into the kiss. 

"It could be your parents," he said against my lips. 

I unbutton his jeans and start to tug them off. It soon joined our shirts on the ground and my shorts followed soon after. My phone started to vibrate again but this time, Scott didn't pay any mind to it. Wise choice.

/

Scott and I were trying to regain our breath. We laid chest to chest and he was stroking my back as I trance a random pattern on his chest. 

"That was...fantastic," Scott said between pants. 

I chuckled. "It definitely was." I kiss his chest. "We should be more adventurous with our settings. This was the first time we didn't use a bed."

"I think we should try the shower a different time. Preferably when I can breathe and have the energy to hoist you up against the tile wall and make you scream my name."

I moan. "That sounds amazing. Just hearing you talk about it like that makes me wanna jump you again."

"That would be wonderful."

I lean down to kiss him again but my phone vibrated on the table. I press my forehead into his chest. 

"You've got to be kidding me," I sigh. 

Scott grabs my phone and holds it out to me. I had three missed calls from a number I didn't know.

"It's probably a wrong number." I put my phone down and smile down at Scott. "Where were we?"

Scott brushes a strand of my hair behind my ear and gently kisses me. My chest pressed up against his and I swear I could feel our hearts beating in sync. 

"What's wrong," I asked when he pulled away abruptly. 

He shakes his head. "Nothing you did. I swear. I just...I got this weird feeling like we're being watched."

I look at the windows and don't see anyone. He shakes his head. "I'm just being paranoid. I must be overly tired from our activity. We should get dressed and have Lydia and Stiles just come here for a movie instead of going out into town."

"Yeah. That sounds good. I'm gonna go shower first."

He nods. "I'm gonna do laundry. Do you have anything else to put in?"

"Other than the clothes from today, nope." 

I kiss him quickly before making my way to the bathroom in his room. Scott came into the room handing me a towel. 

"Why don't you take a bubble bath? You can relax while I do laundry and then maybe I'll end up joining you for a shower. Just to shower though. I still don't have enough energy for shower sex."

I kiss him before drawing a bath for myself. The water was perfect temperature and it was so relaxing. A few minutes later, Scott was standing in the doorway, leaning against it. 

"You're so beautiful," he said. 

I smile. "You should join me."

"I wish I could but Lydia and Stiles are downstairs. Take your time, their making out on the couch."

"Keep me company."

He kneels beside the tub and kisses me softly. "Do you need anything?"

"Nah, I'm gonna get out soon. I don't wanna look like a prune."

"You'd still be the prettiest girl in the world."

"Even prettier than Megan Fox?"

"Way prettier than Megan Fox. She's got nothing compared to you."

I pull him down for another kiss. "I love you."

"I love you too."

Scott goes downstairs to start making lunch and I shower. When I walked out into his room in my towel, I got the same feeling that Scott had. I felt like there was someone watching me. 

"You ok," Scott asked from the doorway which made me jump. "Woah, I'm sorry. It's just me. You ok?"

I nod. "Yeah, I just felt like I was being watched." A shudders running through my body.

He hugs me and says "I'm sorry. Now I've made you paranoid."

"No, it's just a feeling. I'm sure it's nothing."

"I just came to ask if you wanted steak or chicken?"

"Steak," I say with a laugh. "You don't like chicken."

"But you do."

"I'm the luckiest girl in the world."

Scott kisses my forehead. "Get dressed and I'll go make your steak."

I nod and he leaves quickly. I couldn't see anyone outside but I still went to change in the corner where the window couldn't see. Just to make myself feel better. I went downstairs and Stiles and Lydia were indeed making out on the couch. When I went into the kitchen, Scott was putting my steak on a plate. 

"Hey beautiful. Lunch is ready."

"Thanks handsome."

After we ate, the four of us watched reruns of The Golden Girls. We laughed and I had Scott's arms around me but I couldn't shake the feeling of someone watching us. That feeling followed me throughout the rest of the night till I finally fell asleep in Scott's strong and safe arms. It was probably nothing anyway.

 


	41. Love Makes People Do Crazy Things

"Allison," Scott said into my ear. "Allison, you have to wake up. It's almost time for lunch. You have to eat."

I groan and turn so I can bury my face in his chest. Scott kisses the top of my head. 

"Alright, I get it. Sleep a little longer, but when you wake up, you're having a huge lunch."

I nod against him and drape my arm around his waist, pulling him closer. "I love you."

"I love you too," he said. "Go ahead, rest some more."

I take in the faint smell of Scott's body wash before letting sleep take over again. When I woke up, it was to the smell of bacon and Scott was no longer by my side. I sat up and apparently it was just in time because Scott walked in with a tray of food.

"Good morning sleeping beauty. I hope you're hungry because I made you breakfast even though it's lunch time. I figured you wouldn't enjoy lunch after having just woken up so breakfast it was."

"You are the sweetest guy in the history of sweet guys."

He sits beside me and says "I try because you deserve the best." He kisses my forehead. "Now eat up."

The tray was completely covered by food. Five strips of bacon, scrabbled eggs, two pancakes, twelve strawberries, one croissant, two pieces of toast, a cream cheese bagel, and a glass of chocolate milk. 

"You don't actually expect me to eat  _all_  of this, do you?"

He shakes his head. "Just till you're not hungry. Whatever's left I'll eat. I just wanna make sure you eat enough."

"I love you so much. You know that, right?"

"I love you too. Now eat your breakfast." 

He wraps his arm around me and I cuddle into his side as I eat. After the breakfast, Scott went downstairs to wash all the dishes. I followed him down after a few minutes. He had just finished the dishes when I stood in the entrance.

"You could've stayed in bed. Lydia and Stiles have the day to themselves. I only woke you up because I wanted you to eat something. You can go back to sleep though."

I shake my head. "I'd much rather just stay with you. We can talk."

"I'd like that."

/

That's how we found ourselves on the floor in the living room, Scott's back against the couch and me sitting back between his legs. 

"Favorite parent and why?"

"I love them both but my dad is my favorite. We moved a lot because of his work but he was always my shoulder to lean on. I didn't have friends that I could confide in and my mom was always teaching me to be independent and strong so I turned to my dad. He's been my support system since I was little."

Scott smiles at me. "What about Mr. Bear? What's the story behind him?"

"When I was little, Kate used to live with us before she took over the Argent business in Ohio. I was devastated that she was leaving because she was my best friend. So she gave me Mr. Bear as a present that I wasn't allowed to open till she left. When I did, I named him Mr. Bear and the note with him said 'They'll be with you even when I can't be'. I brought him everywhere." I look at Scott. "Did you have a stuffed animal?"

"I wanted one but I wasn't allowed."

"What do you mean?"

"My dad told me that having a stuffed animal was for girls. That boys had to be stronger. My dad bought me a paintball gun when I was six. He took me to the back of the cabin and set up beer bottles. He'd make me stay there through rain or shine until I hit every beer bottle. He even had me do it whether I had a fever or the flu."

I turn and wrap my arms around his neck. "Scott, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up your dad."

"It's ok. He's out of my life forever and you're a part of it." He kisses my forehead. "One good thing came out of it."

"What?"

"When the lacrosse team went to play paintball against another team, I got the most people out. It was a cool match."

I smile. "Change of subject. Greatest fear when you were younger?"

He sighs. "I know it's gonna be hard to believe but I was petrified of dogs."

"Seriously? You love dogs, especially puppies."

"My mom said that when I was a baby, a dog licked me and I was petrified for weeks until I just stood up and hugged one."

"That's one of the cutest things I've ever heard."

He laughs and takes my hand. "I put the paintball gun underneath the floorboard." He puts his foot down and I hear that it's hollow. He lifts up the board and I see the paintball gun. "Fully loaded still. The team game up after my parents divorce and we played." He put the board down. 

"My dad has a gun hidden in each room of the house, except mine. I didn't want one in my room."

Scott nods. "My dad has a gun in a safe upstairs in what used to be his and my mom's room. The code is pretty easy. My mom doesn't know it but I listened to him enter it once when he was drunk, I was gonna take it and hide it but I never really got the chance. Now I don't have to worry about him snapping and using it."

"You learned the code?"

"Yeah, its 001. He's self-centered and always thought he was the best so it suits his mentality."

I kiss him. "Wanna go to the movies? You've been dying to see the Mutant Ninja Turtles movie."

He gets a shocked look. "You know Megan Fox is in that movie, right?"

"Yeah. I'll just have to kiss you every time she comes on the screen."

"I love you."

/

We watched part of the movie before just making out. We were so caught up in each other that we actually sat through four other movies until a manager came to kick us out. We were laughing on the drive home.

"She was totally disgusted with us," Scott said with a laugh. 

"She was just jealous. She was checking you out when we got there. She wanted you for herself but it's too late, you're mine."

"Yeah, I am yours. And you're the only girl for me."

I lean over when we park in front of the cabin and kiss him. When we pull away, I see the door to the cabin is open and the lights are on.

"Did you forget to lock the cabin door?"

Scott shakes his head. "I always lock the door. Lydia has a key. She and Stiles must have decided to come over."

"I wouldn't be surprised. They've stopped by while we were still sleeping three times."

"They love us."

When we walked in, I went to the kitchen and Scott went upstairs to the guest room across from his to see if he could find Lydia and Stiles since they weren't on the couch. 

A cloth went over my nose and mouth and the world went black as I went unconscious. When I woke up, I was tied to a chair with tape and a bandanna was tied around my head so it was a gag. Scott was tied up at the base of the wall in the same manner, still unconscious. Matt stood in the middle with a pistol in his hand. He squats in front of me.

"Hey beautiful, I'm sorry about knocking you out, but I didn't want you resisting." I squirm in the seat trying to break the tape. "Come on beautiful, don't fight."

Matt stands and goes over to Scott, squatting in front of him. I strain against the tape and Matt turns Scott's head to show blood on the side. 

"I had to hit him over the head with the pistol to get him down."

He came back over to me and sniffs my hair, I clench my eyes closed as he did. He walks over to the couch and gets an angry look when he grabs his camera. 

"You've been a very naughty girl Allison. Not only have you been playing hard to get but you gave your innocence to another guy."

He shows me the camera to show a picture of Scott and I in his room, the sheets covering us as our clothes were on the floor, Scott over me as he kissed my neck. 

"You're my girl and I find you letting another guy touch you and kiss you. He doesn't deserve you!"

He continues to show me pictures. Scott kissing me. Me in a towel. Lydia and I changing. Me and Scott on the couch from the day before. 

Scott woke up and strained against the tape. I started to use my ring which had a localized point to try and break through enough for me to pull my hands free. Matt walks over to Scott, waving his pistol.

"You just had to steal her from me. You and your stupid crooked smile and hero mentality. You should've left us alone at that party!" He clenches his teeth. "You ruined everything!"

The ring seemed to be breaking through but only a little hole. Scott was using the doorstop on the wall to break through the tape, it seemed to be working. 

"And then you just had to fall for him," he shouted as he turned to me with the pistol. "You were supposed to be different but you fell for the star jock just like every other brainless bitch!" He lifts the pistol so it was level with my head. "Which is why I have to kill you. I have to kill you and then we'll be together forever. You and me."

He blows a kiss and his finger goes to pull the trigger but Scott had broken through the tape so his hands were free and he tackles Matt, his bandanna falling to the ground. Matt and Scott were struggling with the gun when it went off.


	42. Don't Move A Muscle

I was panicking. They both laid completely still. I focused and heard a labored breathing, I couldn't tell who the source of it was from. Matt stood up slowly with blood in the center of his shirt, Scott's shirt the same. I put my finger through the hole that my ring had left and pulled so it broke. I threw the bandanna away and Matt had slumped against the wall. I ran to Scott and I notice more blood on the side of his head.

"Scott?" His eyes opened and I put a hand on his cheek. "Where does it hurt?"

"My head. Are you ok?"

"What about your chest?" I had totally disregarded his question. I lift up his shirt to see no wound. "You didn't get shot?"

Matt takes in a pained breath and says "Of course you check on him. He doesn't love you like I do. He'll never be good enough for you. It's you and me forever."

He pointed the pistol at Scott but I punched him, causing the aim to go wide but the bullet went across Scott's side, leaving a flesh wound. Lydia came down the stairs and shot the pistol out of Matt's hand, holding him at gun point. I went over to Scott and put pressure on his side. 

Stiles walked in through the front door with the police and EMTs. I went in the back with Scott and they bandaged his head and his side. 

/

"Scott," Melissa shouted when Scott got rolled in on a wheelchair. "Oh my god, what happened?! Is that blood on your shirt?!"

"It's ok. Mom, I'm fine."

"Blood does not imply that you're fine! It implies that you've been hurt!"

I shake my head. "I'm so sorry. It's my fault."

Scott shakes his head. "Matt being a crazy stalker is not your fault."

"Him hurting you because of me is."

/

I laid on the hospital bed with Scott. I was listening to the beating of his heart. His lungs filling with air. 

"I could've lost you. That future, that we talked about, it was almost gone in a moment."

"You're stuck with me. Forever. I promise."

Lydia came charging into the room with Stiles.

"I'm so happy you two are ok," she said as she hugged us both tightly. 

"Matt's out of surgery and he's on his way to a holding cell. He won't come near you two again," Stiles said. "My dad is escorting him personally."

I nod. "Thanks Stiles. I'm just lucky Scott's ok and that you came when you did."

Lydia nods. "We heard a gunshot and we called the police and ran over. I remember Scott's dad had a gun so I got it and went into overdrive. I'm just so happy that Scott and you are alive. I thought the worst when I heard the gunshot."

Stiles pats Scott's shoulder. "Glad you're not hurt too badly."

"You and me both," Scott said. "I don't get why I can't just go home. It's just a flesh wound."

I shake my head. "No, I want to make sure you didn't get an infection or you don't have a concussion. You're staying here till I know everything's is ok."

He kisses my forehead. "I'm fine. We're fine. Everything is fine."

Lydia then says "The police took Raffaele's gun."

"Better they have it than us," he said.

Stiles then says "Can I just say that Lydia looked badass with a gun? And Allison, punching Matt was totally badass."

"It's my fault Scott's here."

Lydia shakes her head. "No, it's Matt's fault. He's sick. He needs help."

Scott then says "So he should go to a mental ward, not a prison."

"He tried to kill us," I said. 

"But he's sick. He needs help and he can't get that in prison."

I sigh and rest my head on his shoulder. "I hate that you're right. I'll talk to the Sheriff and see what we can do."

"That's my girl. I'm glad you'd be willing to forgive."

"Only because of you. You're the only reason I'll talk about getting him help."

Lydia shrugs and says "I want him to rot in prison. If I'd known you'd ask to get him help, I'd have shot him at least once."

Stiles kisses the side of her head. "I love how much you care."

"I'm a little concerned with your craving for blood though," I said with a laugh. 

My parents and Kate walk in. 

"Are you two ok? Where is that son of a bitch," Kate shouted. 

Scott shakes his head. "He's in custody."

"Scott was the only one hurt. Scott tackled him before he could hurt me."

My dad walks over to Scott and puts his hand on his shoulder, the one not occupied by my head. "Thank you for protecting my daughter."

"I'll always protect Allison. Always."

/

That night, Scott and I were drifting to sleep.

"I'm sorry about Matt," I said. 

Scott grabs my hand and says "Don't. You didn't do anything except be your lovable self which is what made Matt come up with the delusion of you being his. He's sick. It's not your fault. I'm fine."

"So you still love me? Even though I've been nothing by trouble?"

"I love you more than anything and nothing, especially not Matt is gonna change that."

 


	43. Don't Leave Me

Scott was still at the hospital and I would've been there with him if it hadn't been for him wanting me to go with my family so I'd be "safer". I'd say he worries too much but after what happened with Matt, I can't really blame him.

"Allison," Kate said from my door way. "You ok sweetheart?"

"Scott got hurt because of me. All I've done is hurt him. Lydia didn't have any baggage beside her parents and Scott had grown up with those things. Scott had his dad as baggage but the worked together. All I've done is hurt him. His dad was angry that he's with me. Matt was angry that he's with me. When he was with Lydia, no one hurt him. I wouldn't doubt if he secretly hated me."

"Honey, that boy loves you."

"He shouldn't. He'd be happier with someone else."

"Meaning Lydia?"

"Not Lydia, she's happy with Stiles. Just, someone better than me."

Kate shakes her head. "There is no one better."

"You have to say that. You're my aunt, your bias."

Lydia walks in. "I'm your best friend, am I bias?" I go to answer but she put her hand up in a stop. "If you say I am, I'll slap you because I have to have Scott's best interest too. Lets not forget, I used to date your boyfriend."

She sits beside me so I was in-between her and Kate. "Lydia, I'm too much drama for him."

"You do realize that most of my relationship with Scott was custody battles. Him dealing with his abusive father and me dealing with the neglect of my parents. You do realize that the most of our relationship was just drama. I love Scott, he's always been my best friend, but I never loved him like you do. He was the closest thing to family before you came. He doesn't have a hating bone in his body. Even his dad, he doesn't hate him, he hates the choices that he chose. Raffaele chose to hurt Scott. Just like Scott chose you over me and I don't mean that in a bad way. I'd have chosen Stiles if it was the other way around, but I got lucky and I didn't have to make that choice. Scott loves you more than anything else. There is no one better for him than you."

"But Matt," I started to say.

Lydia grabs my shoulders. "Stop, Matt is not your fault. There is always gonna be someone jealous of your relationship. Matt's sick and you had no part in that. All you did was be yourself. The first step is forgiving yourself and then you can forgive Matt, but don't think that Scott blames you for any of it."

"You have to stop doubting yourself kiddo," Kate said.

"Now, I'm going to see Scott. He gets to go home today. You coming or do I have to tell him you're leaving him because you put him in too much danger?"

/

At the hospital, Scott's bandage was getting changed by Melissa and she smiles when she sees us. 

"Hey Melissa," Lydia said. "How's our patient doing?"

Scott laughs and says "I'm right here and I'm fine."

Melissa kisses his forehead and turns to us. "You two mind bringing him home?"

"Not at all," Lydia said. She glances between the two of us. "I'll go get the wheelchair. It is hospital policy that you leave in one."

Lydia and Melissa left and Scott stands up when I was in front of him. 

"What's wrong gorgeous?"

I look up at him with tears forming in my eyes. "Do...do you still want to be with me?"

He cups my cheeks and his thumbs stroke beneath my eyes before he pulls me into a slow and passionate kiss. When he pulled away, he rests his forehead against mine. 

"Of course I still want to be with you. Allison, I love you so much. You know I do. How could you ask me that question?"

"You deserve so much better than me. I put you in danger. Your dad doesn't want us together and Matt doesn't want us together."

"You know who does want us together," he asked with a soft smile. "Me. I want us together. I want that future with you. I want to come home and find you with our kids. I want to marry you and I swear, I'm going to do it one day. Allison Argent, I swear that one day I'm gonna do everything in my power to be a worthy husband and a great father. For now though, I'm just gonna try to be the best boyfriend I can be. There is not a single doubt in my mind that you're the one I wanna spend the rest of my life with."

"I love you so much," I said as tears cascades down my cheeks. Scott's wipes my tears and I put my hands over his. "I don't know how I got so lucky to have you."

Scott kisses my forehead. "You're not the lucky one, I am. I don't want you doubting if you're good enough for me. If anyone should doubt their worth, its me. Allison, I love you so much and I can't imagine my life without you."

"I hate to break up this reassuring of love but I thought Scott might like to go home," Lydia said from the doorway with a wheelchair. "You'll have tons of time to talk once we get him home and I'll make lunch."

I smile. "Thanks Lydia."

"It's just lunch," she said with a shrug. "I'm not doing anything big."

"I wasn't thanking you about lunch. I meant for getting me here. For talking some sense into me."

She laughs. "Of course. What are sisters for?" She then turns to Scott. "Come on McCall, the faster we get you home, the faster you and Allison can cuddle on the couch before lunch is ready. Unless you'd rather stay here."

Scott takes my hand and shakes his head gently. "No, I like your plan way better." He takes a seat in the wheelchair. "I'm ready."

/

Scott was asleep in his room and I was in the kitchen helping Lydia clean up. 

"You gonna spend the rest of the day with Stiles?"

"No, I promised Melissa I'd stay with Scott till she got back from her shift tomorrow morning. I have to make sure he changes the bandages at the right times and gets lots of rest."

"Shouldn't I be the one doing that?"

"No, because you're supposed to be home so your parents can make sure you're safe. Scott'll be fine and soon enough he'll be going to your place to cuddle and keep you company during your house arrest."

I shake my head. "Before I go home, my dad's taking me to the police station."

"You're really gonna try and get Matt help?"

"Do I hate him for what he did, yeah, but he's also sick so he needs help. Scott's right and I don't have to like it but I do owe it to myself to help him. I'll never forgive him and I'll probably always hate him, but I shouldn't let his family suffer because of his obsession. He needs help and I want him to have the chance to have it."

She shrugs. "Scott's 'save the whole world' attitude is rubbing off on you. I'd make sure he rotted in a cold and isolated cell till he's ash." She shrugs again with a wink. "But that's just me."

I laugh and look at the clock. "I still have another hour before my dad comes to pick me up. I think I'll take a nap."

She gestures me to Scott's room. "Go ahead. Go curl up with your boyfriend. I'm gonna curl up with a nice book in the living room. I'll come wake you before your dad comes."

"Thanks Lyds." 

I jogged upstairs and Scott was passed out on the bed. Curled on his left side and his mouth wide open. I curled in beside him, nestling into his chest so my face was under his chin. He shifted to wrap his arm around me but doesn't utter a sound. 

/

At the station, Sheriff Stilinski was guiding me to the cells to let him know about my kindness. The scene we found wasn't what I had expected. Not at all. Matt was hanging from the overhead pipes. Bed sheets wrapped around his neck. 

"Sweetheart," dad says behind me. "I think we should take you home."

I couldn't speak. I just let him lead me away from the holding cell. I didn't want him to kill himself. I was getting him help. 

I don't even know how I got to my room. I don't remember getting into the car or walking upstairs. The entire trip back from the station is just blank. 

"Honey," Mom says from the doorway. "You've got a visitor."

"I...I don't want to see anyone right now."

Scott walks in. "Not even me?"

"I can make an exception for you."

He sits up against my headboard and pulls me backwards into his chest. I nestle into his neck. 

"He killed himself," I mutter. "He hung himself in his cell using the bed sheets."

Scott kisses the side of my head. "I know. Stiles messaged me as soon as his dad mentioned that you saw him. I'm sorry Allison."

"I'm a terrible person."

"No, you're not."

"Yes, I am. I didn't want him to kill himself, but deep down, I was relieved. I was relieved that he was dead because he wouldn't be able to hurt us anymore. I'm a terrible person for feeling that when his mother is probably devastated."

"He tried to hurt you. He tried to hurt me. It's natural to feel relieve because you're safe now. You feel terrible because you felt relieved which means you're not a terrible person. A terrible person wouldn't have care. You're one of the best people I know."

"Thanks Scott. I really needed to hear that."

"Anytime." He lays down and takes me with him. "My mom knows I'm here and I changed my bandage before I came. I'm yours for the rest of the night and everyday after that."

"I love you."

"I love you too. Get some rest. You've had an exhausting day."

I cuddle him and use his heartbeat to lull myself to sleep. 


	44. Chapter 44

"You excited," my mom asked as I admired my dress. "You nervous? You anxious? What ya feeling?"

"I'm happy. I'm excited. I'm nervous. I'm so many emotions right now." I turn to her. "I'm mostly proud though. Proud that I made it this far. Proud that I've achieved so much. Proud to be your daughter. Proud to finally have a place that feels like home."

My mom pulls me into a hug. "I'm proud to call you my daughter. I'm so proud of you. I'm...I'm gonna start to cry."

"No, don't cry mom. If you cry, then I'll cry and Lydia will have to do my makeup all over again. I don't wanna be late."

My mom wipes her eyes and bats her eyelashes to keep from anymore tears from falling. She took hold of my shoulders gently. 

"I know I don't say it often, but I love you so much and being your mother is one of the greatest pleasures I've had in life."

"Thanks mom. I love you too."

"Lets go. We don't wanna keep Scott waiting."

"No, I don't."

Lydia walks in wearing her red gown. "Hey sis. You ready to graduate?"

I throw on my gown. "Yeah, I am."

"Good, because its too late to flunk out."

I hug her and Kate walks over. "Come downstairs so we can take pictures."

"Scott's waiting for us," I said.

Lydia kisses the side of my head and says "He can wait a few more minutes."

Kate snapped picture after picture. Lydia and I making various poses. 

/

When we got to the school, Stiles and Scott stood in their gowns.

"Hey," Scott said when he saw us. He pulls me into his arms and kisses me quickly. "You look amazing, as always."

Stiles pulls us all into a group hug. "We've done it! We've survived high school."

"You're so cute," Lydia said.

"So, when do we get to hear your speaker," Stiles said. "I'm so proud of you for being valedictorian."

Scott shrugs and says "Are we even surprised? She's always been a genius."

Mr. Harris walks over. "What are you four doing? Get to your seats you no good wastes of air. I hate my job." He walked off muttering under his breath. 

Scott tightens his arms around me. "No, you sit so far away. Why does the seating have to be alphabetical?"

I kiss him. "The four of us are all going to dinner with our families after the ceremony. You can sit next to me then."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

Lydia then says "I'll keep an eye on him during the ceremony. You know, just in case some girl wants to kiss him before college."

Scott then says "They won't get close enough. You're the only girl for me."

/

When Lydia took the stand, Stiles had jumped up.

"That's my girlfriend!"

Lydia blew him a kiss and smiles at us all. "Here we are. Four years of work and stress has lead us to today. Beacon Hills is our home and it will stay with us no matter where we go. Beacon Hills isn't just a town. It's more than that. It's a family. A family that sticks together no matter how far away we are from each other. So congratulations, we are the graduates of Beacon Hills. Cyclones forever!"

We all burst into applause, whistling, and cheering. The principal took the stand and started handing out our diplomas. 

"Allison Argent," he said. As I shook his hand and accepted the diploma, he smiled. "Congratulations and welcome to our family."

"Lydia Martin," he called. Followed by "Scott McCall. Stiles Stilinski." And he continued naming the graduating class .

After we had moved our tassels from the right to the left side. I was getting congratulated when I felt arms wrap around me from behind. I expected it to be Scott but it was Lydia. 

"We're officially done with high school."

I laugh and hug her tightly. "I know."

Stiles then says "How amazing was my girl?"

Lydia laughs and pulls him into a kiss. Scott jogs over and I wrap my arms around his neck. 

"Hey handsome."

Scott kisses me. "Will you sign my yearbook?"

I laughed. "Are you seriously asking me that?"

Scott pulls out his yearbook and shows me the cutest couple page. It was Scott and I on one side and Lydia and Stiles on the other. 

"We made cutest couple?"

"Yeah. We tied with Stiles and Lydia. Oh, we also tied with them for most likely to get married."

"Ooh, I like the sound of that."

He smiles. "So do I. Very much in fact."

Melissa walked over with my parents and Kate. Kate had her camera in hand. 

"Picture time," Melissa said as she raised her own camera. She and Kate started taking so many pictures that I was seeing dots from the flash. "You two are so grown up." 

Scott hugs her as she starts to tear up. "My baby boy is all grown up. I can't believe it. It seems like you were just born yesterday. Now you're leaving me."

"I'm still your baby boy and I always will be."

Melissa takes my hand and says "Allison, you take care of yourself. I know you'll be successful and I hope my son does everything in the world to make you happy."

I smile at Scott. "He does. You raised a great man. I'm lucky to have him."

Melissa kisses each of our foreheads. "Let's get you four to dinner. We've got a lot to celebrate."

Stiles nods. "I'm starving. Get a move on people. Curly fries are calling my name."

"You're such a dork," Lydia said as she kissed his cheek. 

/

At the restaurant, Scott was in between Lydia and I while Stiles was on Lydia's other side. I sat across from my mom, Scott sat across from my dad, Lydia sat across from Melissa, and Stiles of course sat across from his dad. Kate sat at the head of the table so that she was between my mom and me. 

"I think we should just start by saying how proud we are of you four," Melissa says. "You've all worked hard and have grown to be responsible and independent adults. We're so proud of you all."

My dad then says "I know you all plan on going to the cabin again before you all leave for school so Allison, your mother and I wanna give you your gift now." He puts hands me and box in  _silver_  wrapping paper. 

"You guys didn't have to get me anything."

My mom shakes her head with a smile. "Yes, we did. Especially this. Now open it."

I sigh and tear into the paper slowly. I took my time working the box opened and pulled out a Yale Bulldogs Shirt. 

"Oh my gosh," I said. "I love it. Thank you guys so much."

My dad shrugs. "We've had it for a while. We knew how much you dreamt of going to Yale and we didn't have a single doubt that you wouldn't make it in. We're proud of you and hope you have an amazing four years there just like your mother and I did."

I stood and hugged them quickly. Kate pulls out a brown cardboard box. 

"It's not Yale related, but it'll be useful for the distance between you and Scott."

I laugh and hug her. "Thanks Kate. What is it?"

"A vibrator," she said which caused my parents and Melissa to choke as all three of them had continued eating. "I'm joking. It's a new laptop. I know yours broke when we got back from France  after Easter break and you kept rambling on and on about how you wouldn't be able to video chat with Scott and that you couldn't not see his face every night even though it'd be over a screen. I didn't want you pissing off your roommate at Yale with all the pacing and missing Scott so I figured this would be the best gift."

I lunge into her for a hug. "Thank you so much Aunt Kate."

"Yeah, thanks Kate," Scott said. "I need to be able to video chat Allison."

Stiles turns to Lydia. "I actually have a gift for you." He reaches into his backpack and pulls out a Harvard shirt. "I know it's nothing big or fancy, but I want you to know that I'm proud of you."

"This is the best gift I've ever gotten," Lydia said. She kisses him quickly. "I love you. I love you so much."

"I love you too."

Sheriff Stilinski then hands Stiles a Ashford hoodie. "I'm happy you found a college that's close enough for me to drive up on weekends but I'm mostly proud that you've finally managed to decide on a major."

Lydia gets a surprised look. "You decided? Which one are you choosing? Criminal justice or pre-law?"

"Criminal Justice," Stiles said. "I always dreamt of being a detective so I feel kinda stupid for having questioned what I'd major in. It took me helping my dad with one of his cases a few days ago to realize how much I loved police work."

Scott says "Congrats man. You'll be a great detective."

"I'm sorry about you not getting a response from Duke," Lydia said. 

Scott stands and pulls out a blue shirt from the duffel bag he brought but was holding it to his chest so we couldn't see anything. "I actually have something to show you four." He turns it around to show a Duke shirt.

I jump up and hug him. "Oh my gosh, you got in."

Scott nods. "I went to the guidance counselor when I didn't get a response and I wanted to know why. He sent an email to the admissions office and after a few days, he got an email from the university.  It turns out they had my home address wrong when they sent my acceptance letter. I got a full scholarship and my equipment for the team will be coming soon. I wanted to surprise you guys with the news."

"Scott, that's amazing," I said. "I'm so happy you got in. I know how much you wanted to go there."

"Thanks. I actually have a present for you." He pulls out a small box. "Open it."

I do and it shows the Yale Bulldog and a D attached to a Pitchfork charm in a heart. 

"I had it made. Since you're going to Yale and I'm going to Duke, I wanted you to have a remembrance that even though there's a nine hour distance between us, I'm still yours."

I kiss him. "I love it." I turn my back to him. "Take off the necklace so I can add the charm." He does and then puts it back on me. "Thank you so much Scott."

"Of course. I love you. I'm glad you like it."

"I love it. I love it so much."

/

After dinner, the four of us left for the cabin. Stiles would be staying with Lydia in her cabin and Scott and I would be at his. 

"We all got into the colleges we wanted," Stiles says. "That's amazing."

"Yeah," Lydia says. "It just sucks that we'll be scattered."

Scott's arm was wrapped around me in the backseat. "Distance doesn't change anything. We're all friends and that's how it's gonna stay. We won't let distance change that."

"Exactly," I said. "And there will be holidays that we can get together."

Stiles nods. "Totally. We've got this."

/

Scott and I laid naked in the bed. Our breathing had started to even out. Scott's arms were wrapped around me tightly. 

"Can I tell you something," I asked.

"Of course."

"When I first realized that I liked you and then a little later that I loved you, I kept denying it because it was wrong. Because you were dating Lydia and I couldn't love you. I just kept thinking that I love you but I can't. And now it occurred to me that that hasn't been true for so long. Now is different. I love you and I can. And that's the best feeling in the world. Not having to hide my feelings for you. It's the second best feeling in the world."

"What's the first," he asked as he moved a strand of hair behind my ear so it wasn't in my face. "Mine in waking up beside you."

"You loving me back."

/

"We'll talk, right," I asked Lydia. 

"You're seriously asking that? I'm gonna be driving up whenever I can. It's only a two hour and something drive. You'll be sick of me."

Lydia hugs me tightly. "I'll never be sick of you Lyds. I hope you get along with your roommate at Harvard. You'll do great."

"I wish you the same at Yale." She said. She had tears in her eyes when we pulled away. She turns to Scott. "And you. Don't you dare think that I won't be checking in on you every now and then. You'll do great at Duke and you're going to wow everyone on the field. Allison and I are gonna have to come to one of your games."

Scott hugs her and says "You better. Don't let all those other brainiacs make you feel intimidated. You've got the brains and the heart so you already have them beat."

Lydia turns to Stiles. "If you so much as look at another girl, I'll have your head Stilinski. And be expecting regular updates on how my classes are going."

"I'm holding you to that. If you miss one update, I'm driving over to Harvard and trapping you in my arms."

Lydia jumps into his arms. "I'm gonna miss you so much. You'll video chat me all the time?"

"Every chance I get."

Lydia pulls away when her flight started boarding. We said a few more goodbyes before she disappeared onto the plane. 

I turned to Stiles and he pulls me into a hug. "I'm gonna miss you. Everyone is leaving. If you're not back for holidays, I'm flying over and dragging you off the Yale campus by your ear."

"I'll come visit, I promise."

I then turn to Scott once Stiles let's me go. Scott pulls me into his arms into a bone crushing hug. 

"Don't you fall for any of those Yale Bulldog guys."

"I've got my heart set on a Blue Devil."

"Good, because I've got my heart set on you."

"I'm glad we're in agreement."

Stiles then says "Your plane in boarding. You should go."

Scott then says "Call me the minute you land."

"I will. I promise."

I was walking toward the plane entrance and heard a commotion behind me. 

"Young man, you can't go there!"

Scott appeared in front of me, slightly out of breath. 

"Scott," I said as I looked around worriedly. "You're not allowed here. You'll miss your flight if you get kicked out of the airport."

"I don't care. I need to say this."

A man then says "You're holding up our flight," a man said. 

A woman hushed him. "Let the kid speak."

Scott takes a deep breath and says "I love you so much and I know long distance relationships are hard but I'm not gonna let that stop me from trying because I'll love you no matter how far you are." Scott gets on one knee and shows me an elegant diamond ring. "And I know I wanna spend the rest of my life making you laugh and to be there to dry your tears. This ring belonged to my grandmother and was considered her promised ring before my grandfather got her a bigger one to be called her engagement ring. They had seventy-five long and happy years of marriage. I hope that one day I get just as much time as they did, if not more. So Allison Argent, will you please accept this promise ring? If you say no, I'm just gonna try again everyday till you say yes because you're the only girl I wanna marry. You're the only one I can see myself with for the rest of my life. So please say yes."

I laugh and say "The fact that you think there's even a slight possibility I'll say no is completely ridiculous." I kiss him. "Of course I accept. I love you." Everyone behind us bursted into cheers and applause.

An officer comes over. "Young man, please stop blocking the gateway. I don't wanna have to arrest you."

Scott puts his hands up in surrender. "I'm coming. I'm coming." He kisses me quickly. "The minute your plane lands, don't forget. And when you get to campus."

"I promise. You're going to miss your flight if you don't hurry."

Scott walked out with the officer and I had the biggest smile on as I boarded the plane. I took my seat by the window and stared off as the town slowly started to disappear as we went higher and higher. I look down at the ring and smile. Beacon Hills, a place where I found a sister and brother, but most importantly, where I found a home in the love of my life. Allison McCall. I could get used to that. 

The End


End file.
